THE HELLBEAST’S CLAIM

THE HELLBEAST KING #4

STEPHANIE HUDSON

The Hellbeast’s Claim

The Hellbeast King Series #4

Copyright © 2022 Stephanie Hudson

Published by Hudson Indie Ink

www.hudsonindieink.com

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it wasn’t purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referred to in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorised, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

The Hellbeast’s Claim/Stephanie Hudson – 1st ed.

ISBN-13 -

CONTENTS

Prologue

1. Fear of Loss

2. Under My Skin

3. Eternally Gained and Claimed

4. Broken Little Dancer

5. HellBeast Heart’s Breaking

6. Finding My Way

7. Time is Everything

8. Awkward Family Connections

9. Stone Barriers

10. Choices

11. Idiots

12. Wild Child

13. When a HellBeast Comes a’ Knocking

14. Fractured Hearts

15. Ballerina Threats

16. Heartbreaking Asks

17. The Debt of Forgiveness

18. It’s a Family Thing

19. Awkward Crushes

20. Biker Chick Dreams

21. Jared’s Wild One

22. Ride Free First

23. Beginning

24. Twilight Without the Sparkles

25. Hard Head Reality

26. So Right It’s Wrong

27. Banking on the Bluff

28. Afterlife Decisions

29. A King’s Foolish Heart

30. King to King

31. Regret

32. Libertas

33. Threats, Vows and The Mortal in Between

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Also by Stephanie Hudson

Other Authors at Hudson Indie Ink

I dedicate this book to Queen Elizabeth II, the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female sovereign in history. Her promise to serve the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms lasted 70 years and 214 days, working up until the day she passed. A promise she kept no matter the sacrifice, addressing the nation at the beginning of her reign,  

‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.’

I am only one of many who called you Queen, but I thank you for your dedication to our great nation and to its people.

‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’

Elizabeth II

21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022

PROLOGUE

ELLA

Wife.

How could I have been so blind?

Blinded to the reasons why he had been so reluctant to take things further between us.

Blinded to the reasons why he wasn’t falling in love with me, just like I had long ago fallen in love with him.

Well, now I knew… Now I knew it all.

Which was why it was every piece of that all I was running from now. Because how could I stay? How could I stand there and face him, now that I’d had my eyes opened to the truth? No, there was no going back, there was only moving forward. And so I sat there on that train, watching the world whizzing past and asking myself the only question my mind had left.

That terrifying question I had my own answers to, but as for the other side of that coin, the HellBeast side… well, that was the unknown path I now had no choice but to travel down.

That all important question which stood between us felt like a fated absolute. Because after what had happened to us on that stage, it only left the me asking the Fates…

Was a HellBeast King going to let me go or was I now being hunted?

Hunted prey for a…

HellBeast King to Claim.

1

FEAR OF LOSS

“Okay, so I know you’re pissed,” Amelia stated, making me snap,

“Too fucking right I am, at both of you!” Lucius looked about to say something, but Amelia got there just as he took a step towards me, causing her to place a hand at his chest to stop him.

“No, he’s right.”

“Sweetness,” he hummed, making her look up at him with those big blue eyes of hers. Eyes that always fucking got to me when she was a kid and because of it, even I knew that the bastard was fucked!

“Please, honey, don’t make this harder. I know what he’s saying is true. I kept Ella’s secret and promised her I would but at what price, Lucius? I could have… I could have… lost her… we all could have,” she said, struggling with her words due to the emotions brimming over, making her tears fall. And oh yeah, like I said, her Vampire was fucked after this because I think he would have cut off a limb for a second time if she had asked him to, just to make her feel better. So, he released a sigh and took her face his hands, using his thumbs to take away her tears before nodding his compliance.

“Alright, love, I will behave and refrain from bloodshed in your honour… just this once,” he whispered this last part after lowering his face and making her smile, telling me he was as fucking smitten with her as I was over a certain redheaded doll-faced dancer of mine.

“Good, now that shit’s out the way and my office might survive this conversation, can we get back to what is wrong with my girl?” I practically barked out in an impatient and frustrated tone.

“I hate to point this out, but doesn’t the claim need to be made both ways?” Amelia said, making me tense nearly every muscle in my body.

“And your shitty point is what exactly?” I gritted out.

“Well, I hate to rub salt in the wound here, but I am pretty sure every Demon and their dog knew why she was dancing on that stage,” Orth scoffed at Amelia’s annoying fucking point, making me shoot him a look before snarling at him,

“You wanna be the asshole and go ahead and get it the fuck over with, brother?”

“Yeah, I fucking do. So here it is, I fucking told you so, dickhead!” he snapped back, folding his arms as a clear sign that he was seconds away from wanting to try and kick my ass. So, I told him a big home fucking truth.

“Well, ain’t that fucking great and just what I need? Because even if I was a royal asshole and not already mentally kicking my own ass over what happened, I am certainly the royal asshole who nearly just lost his Chosen One. And only minutes after the last thing she heard me saying was that she wasn’t my fated girl because of the way she fucking smells!” I forced out the words and continued to do so, knowing with the muscle I could see tensing at his jaw that my brother was starting to understand I didn’t need anyone’s words to make me feel like shit… as I couldn’t feel any fucking worse about what happened.

“So you wanna cut me some fucking slack here and carry on being the brother I need, and not the one who wants to make me feel fucking worse than I already do?” At this he scoffed but said nothing, thus giving me my answer as to which brother he would be… in other words, the former, seeing as I hadn’t yet felt his fist connecting with my face.

“Great, now moving on… which starts with you telling me exactly what I should have fucking known a long time ago, Amelia,” I said, directing my anger at Ella’s cousin once more.

“A long time ago? How do you figure that, Jared?” she asked, obviously focusing on the age of my grievance. This was when I released a growled sigh and hit them all with the truth of how much that single fucking secret had fucked me over.

“Because the whole reason I didn’t believe her to be mine in the first place was because her scent was off, and the Oracle told me that I would know she was mine instantly due to scent and taste. Now, if I had known the reason for this difference in her had been down to her illness and had something to do with the shit that is most likely pumped into her veins or the pills she has to take… well, then I could have gone with my fucking instincts in the first place.” At this Amelia’s eyes grew wide before she muttered,

“Oh, fuck.”

“Yeah, oh fuck is right, girl, and I am not just talking about recent months, Amelia, but fucking years. I felt something for her even back then, which means that conversation we had all those years ago when I asked you a question, well now you know what your answer should have been,” I said, knowing I was acting like an asshole playing the blame game here, but just thinking about all those years I had lost was making me fucking crazy.

“Now just a fucking minute, HellBeast, I am not going to stand here and let you blame all of this on my Chosen!” Lucius snarled back, as was his right.

“Look, Vampire, I will be the first to admit I’m an asshole and therefore know who’s at fault here, but I am also saying that I don’t exactly stand alone at the fucking crossroads of choice. One I could have made better if I knew the fucking destination,” I pointed out, making Lucius back down, especially when I continued to tell him,

“Surely you can understand that? Especially seeing as I know that you can’t stand here now and tell me that neither of you two fucked up with the lies you told each other or the secrets you kept, despite believing they were for the greater good or some bullshit like that.” Amelia looked away at this point, whereas Lucius gritted his teeth, telling me silently that I had made my point, and a fucking good one at that.

“But moving on from this and a past neither of us can fucking change, I need to know what it is she wouldn’t tell me, Amelia,” I said, purposely making my tone calmer this time.

“Yeah, but did you ever ask yourself why she didn’t tell you?” Amelia threw back at me, meaning I was now the one to grit my teeth.

“The why is what I will get from Ella, the rest is on you, kid,” I said, making her scoff at this. However, what was surprising was when she looked like she would argue against this, it was Lucius who took the matter in hand.

“Tell him, Love.” At this she shot him an incredulous look, but he placed a hand on her shoulder and said,

“I knew all there was to know about you, Amelia, and spent years stalking you from afar. Trust me, if I were in his shoes I would be just as pissed… especially after what just happened.” At this she sighed and argued gently,

“But I made her a promise.”

“Yes, but did that promise ever include her putting her own life in danger and therefore expecting you to hold the weight of that accountability as well?” She sighed again before turning to me, and this time resigning herself to breaking her vow.

“Ella suffers from type 1 Gaucher disease, that’s why she had no choice but to give up dancing,” she said, making me suck air through my teeth as I clenched my fists and resisted the urge to pound them into something, just as a way to relieve the painful tension I could feel in my chest.

My girl was sick.

She had been for a long time.

“But she has a physical job, she’s a fucking park ranger, for fuck sake, how can she…?” I stopped when Amelia put up her hand to halt my rant, telling me with sad eyes,

“She’s learned to live with the pain, Jared.” I closed my eyes hearing this and let my brother snap in my place,

“What the fuck?!”

“Look, you have to understand, there were only two things Ella ever wanted to do and when one was ripped from her, the second was the only hope she held onto. She would give up one but not them both, she was adamant… she was…”

“Fucking foolish!” Orthrus barked, interrupting Amelia on a growl, making her finish her sentence with more force this time,

“…Determined.” This was also said with narrowed eyes, and she was seconds away from squaring up to my brother as though she wasn’t tiny in comparison. But then what did she have to fear? For even if we hadn’t all seen the kid grow up and consider her as family, even if she hadn’t walked in here with one of the most feared Kings by her side, we had all seen her fight that day.

After all, she was a Draven for a reason.

“And what if she had collapsed like she did here, only up a fucking mountain? What then?” Orthrus argued back, as he knew I was in too much shock to fucking speak. Amelia closed her eyes for a few moments, in what looked like utter frustration, before carrying on,

“You wouldn’t understand, but how could you…? After all, what have you ever had to give up, Orthrus? You were born taking whatever the fuck you wanted from this world!” Amelia snapped, forcing him to hold back a growl.

“Tell me of the disease,” I finally gritted out, breaking through their argument, now getting to the core of her condition and what I considered were the only important details from this point on.

“It’s a rare type, but has a lot of the same symptoms and basically, at its best, it swings from just bruising easily, aching bones and getting tired easily and if hurt, she can take a long time to heal.” I gritted my teeth, remembering every time she told me that she bruised easily and now I knew why. Not surprising, I now felt like a fucking idiot missing all the signs.

“Fuck… and at its worst?” I snapped, making her sigh before her pained eyes said it all. Because going back to what happened earlier and well, it was pretty fucking clear, as what could be worse than her nearly dying…? Fucking nothing is what!

However, she answered me anyway.

“Hepatosplenomegaly.”

“Not a doctor, honey, so I would be grateful if you tried speaking in layman’s terms here,” I told her and once again, I did so trying to tame the asshole in me.

“Basically, it’s enlargement of the liver and spleen, and then a low number of red blood cells that causes anaemia,” she answered, making me tense my jaw.

“Fuck me, anything else?!” I growled, getting angrier by the minute.

“Chronic fatigue, lung disease, and bone disease such as bone pain, fractures, and arthritis. People with GD1 also have an increased risk for Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, certain cancers, and osteoporosis,” she said, adding to the never-ending fucking list, and each one I swear made me want to kill something!

“Fuck!” I hissed, mirroring my brother’s reaction before he snapped,

“Gaucher disease, what the fuck is that anyway?!” Amelia sighed as she deflated into one of the sofas, hanging her head before explaining in a pained voice,

“Just like other types of Gaucher disease, GD1 happens when not enough glucocerebrosidase are made and yes, before you ask for layman’s terms, glucocerebrosidase is an important enzyme that breaks down a fatty chemical called glucocerebroside.”

“Fuck, girl, but how’d you know all this shit, you sure you ain’t a doctor?” Orthrus asked, obviously forgetting how fucking clever this particular Draven was. I however, had not.

“I read, Orth. Besides, Ella is like a sister to me, so yeah, as soon as I found out she had the disease, naturally, I wanted to know all there was to know about it.”

“Naturally,” my brother uttered sarcastically, awarding himself a scowl from Lucius.

“And this important enzyme?” I questioned, as like her, I wanted to know it all.

“Because the body cannot break down this chemical, fat-filled Gaucher cells build up in areas like the spleen, liver and bone marrow,” she answered, and the second her shoulders slumped, Lucius offered comfort by placing a hand there, making her lean her cheek to the back of his palm.

“And she has lived with it all this time?” I questioned, assuming this to be the case and annoyed at myself for not digging deeper into her life before now. But then, without knowing that she was my Chosen, then my reasons for doing so were always lacking.

In all honesty, I had purposely held myself back when it came to Ella, knowing deep down that my fascination with her had been unhealthy from the start. An unfounded interest I had fought against for both our sakes, as I had known how easy it would have been to make her my obsession. After all, a recovering alcoholic didn’t hang around bars just to punish themselves with what they desired but were forbidden to consume.

My fixation had started to burn brighter from that tiny spark she had ignited, the night my little dancing girl had first appeared on my stage. And as for now, well that spark was, admittedly, a raging fire within me, and the flames of my obsession started burning once more after saving her in the forest months earlier. That was why I had stayed away from her after that… I knew how dangerously tempting she was and the power she held over me. A power that I had unconsciously allowed to grow the moment she walked back into my life, doing so to the point that I had been ready to go to war over keeping her. Fuck, but if I had just followed my Beast’s instincts that first night, then I could have discovered all this fucking years ago!

Which meant I would have eventually learned for myself of her illness, saving her years of pain by making her mine and claiming her all that time ago. Which was why my frustration was poured into every word when questioning Amelia and asking her how long Ella had lived with the pain.

“Yes, she has learned to live with it, something that had been easier in the past, seeing as usually she doesn’t push herself like… well, like that,” she said, looking towards the door as if seeing past the walls of my office and back to watching on in horror as her cousin nearly killed herself on stage. Not surprising, I winced myself as that same horror played back in my own mind. It was one I knew would no doubt haunt me for many years to come.

Because now this HellBeast King had something to fear…

The Fear of Loss.

UNDER MY SKIN

JARED

My Little Dancing Girl.

Fuck, but just remembering how hauntingly beautiful she had moved, gliding across the stage every time she danced. But even then, when I thought back to it, I remembered the way her legs looked as though they were seconds from buckling. Meaning that every wince she tried to hide from me started to play back like a flickering black and white movie of my memories. Fleeting moments that I had foolishly believed was from her broken arm or her bruised body that had been patches of mottled skin for so long.

But it wasn’t just these factors that should have hinted so much more was going on with her. And now it was coming back to me and screaming the obvious, starting with the very first night I had ever seen her down in my club.

The night Little Red Riding Hood met her Wolf…

Eleven Years Ago…

I shook my head as I watched my brother escorting the girl from my club, trying to rid myself the memory of how good she had felt held prisoner in my hands and asking why the feeling still lingered. What had it been about her?

Usually, I fucking hated humans and would have been the opposite to gentle with one when finding them intruding in on my world. But as for this little mortal beauty, well fuck me, I had simply been…

Captivated.

In fact, I don’t think I had ever seen anything quite so beautiful grace my stage before. Perhaps that was it. Perhaps that was what it had been. An appreciation for beauty and nothing more.

Then why were my hands fisting now and doing so furiously, not at the idea that she had infiltrated my club, but the fact that I had allowed her to escape it. Fuck, but half of me wanted to bolt towards the exit and chase her down, taking back my promise and instigating it now. The promise made that if ever she was to be found after this night, then I might not be so inclined to let her go again.

Fuck being inclined, I was practically there already and ready to enslave her as my personal dancing girl. To make her pay back her offence by spending her sentence on the stage every night, knowing it would give me those same captivating moments I had felt tonight, when watching her.

Fuck, but what was it about her?!

Sure there was the obvious, like a beauty I had rarely seen before, with a riot of red curls I swear my fucking Beast just wanted to bury our nose in and get high from the feeling. Gods, but with such a reaction to her, I was fucking surprised she wasn’t my Chosen One. However, I knew she wasn’t, and wasn’t that just a fucking shame, for my Beast had certainly felt like claiming her there and then. Thank the Gods he didn’t rule our instincts, that was all I was saying or fuck me, I would be headless before the week’s end, seeing that she was related to a fucking Draven!

Speaking of which, it was time to get to the bottom of why she was here in the first place. Which was why, the moment I had dealt with yet another Draven, one who was soon to learn his lesson when dealing with royal blood and showing them fucking respect, I turned to Amelia. The other Draven who had no idea it was her brother who’d had her back just now. Well, that was one family drama I would not be a part of, that was for fucking sure, no matter how much I liked the kid and thought of her as family.

She called me her fucking uncle for fuck’s sake!

But this was yet another reason I couldn’t have just stolen the girl away like my Beast had been pushing for me to do. A nice prison we would make her, he had urged. A nice comfortable bed surrounded by a cage to keep her in, he had pressed, planting the sexual image and near making me fucking rock solid in seconds. Gods, but like I said, thank Hell’s gates that I had the strength to hold him back, or fuck only knows the trouble such mortal temptation could have landed us in.

But in truth, the whole exchange had rattled me. Because I had never felt this way towards a mortal before. No, that was usually my brother’s fucked up vice, and one I purposely turned my back on knowing of how forbidden it was. But Gods, he was fucking addicted to mortal pussy, and I had no fucking clue why!

Not until now.

I had never been tempted before and neither had my Beast. So why this girl?

I knew she wasn’t to be my Claimed, as the Oracle’s words had been imprinted on me since that day. The Fated words that stated I would know when I found my Chosen as I would be nearly knocked off my feet when the real taste and scent of her hit me for the first time. And well, as nice as this girl had smelled, she hadn’t impacted me the way she should, despite her beauty making a big impression. Which was why I was still thinking about her when I took Amelia aside and, trying to keep my voice on the less scary side of pissed off, told her,

“Time for me and you to have words, Princess.”

“Oh come on! I told you, it was a mistake… granted, a big one but still, it wasn’t like I invited her to follow me,” she argued with what I imagined was a typical teenage whine.

“Speaking of which, just what were you hoping to find here, Fae?” I asked, finding myself looking towards where my brother had taken her from me. Gods, but why was I even still thinking like that?!

“Are you going to tell my father?” she asked, ignoring my question and prompting me to raise an expectant brow. Something that usually worked, especially since I had learned the importance of saying nothing when it came to dealing with a bunch of teenagers. A group of Supernatural kids I had been charged with mentoring and providing a home for. But that was another story… literally.

However, when she just folded her arms, I realized that the tactic wasn’t going to work with Amelia, someone who had been wrapping the Kings around her little finger since she had been born! Well, not all of us, as it was clear there was one King who was not as enamoured with her as the rest of us were. In fact, I don’t think I actually remembered a time when I even saw the Vampire King and Amelia conversing together, as he had certainly become more scarce since her birth. Now why hadn’t I ever questioned that before?

“How about you answer my question first and then I will do the same,” I said, folding my arms and trying not to remember when she was the cutest thing alive barely coming up to my knees. The same kid that used to beg me to chase her and growl at her so she could try and fight me off dressed as a princess with her plastic sword. She also used to tell me that she didn’t need a knight to save her, that she would be the one to save the knight. So, shit yeah, she was a Draven alright.

“I am looking for someone, okay.” I frowned before looking towards the kid who was currently trying to convince the best fighter out of the five teens I had been charged with taking care of, not to fight him. To give the ballsy lad his due, not only did I not intimidate him, but he also didn’t feel comfortable fighting a girl, meaning the kid had a high moral compass already. But then, like his sister, he was of Draven blood, so this didn’t surprise me, nor did his bravery.

I nodded to Theo, and Amelia looked over her shoulder and agreed it had been him, although that in itself seemed too easy, making me wonder if she was using the out I had just given her.

“So?” she asked, making me sigh.

“That depends,” I replied sternly, knowing I really needed to look to my own moral compass here, which meant telling her parents the dangers she might have found herself in. As after all, my ruling eyes couldn’t be everywhere, not even in my own fucking club.

“Aww, come on, Uncle, I thought you were the cool one.” I raised a brow at this.

“Yeah, and just how many times do you pull the cool uncle card with everyone else, Fae? ‘Cause I also ain’t the stupid one,” I said calling her bluff and bullshit.

“Fine, so what does it depend on?” she asked, making me tell myself over and over, don’t fucking do it, J, don’t you fucking dare! Needless to say, I was a dick, and I dared.

“Tell me about your cousin.” Fucking idiot HellBeast.

“You want to know about Ella?” she asked incredulously, forcing me not to wince just so she didn’t see it. The kid was too fucking smart for her own good and always had been. Gods, but even I knew she was on genius level intellect and was most definitely going places in the world… now just which world was going to play centre stage was anyone’s guess at this point as, unlike her parents, Amelia was completely human. But right now, I wanted to get back to my own human… fuck, but now I was referring to her as ‘my human’… not good, dickhead!

“I usually demand to know everyone who comes in my club, Fae, so yeah, tell me about her so I may assess her as being a threat or not,” I said, blagging my fucking ass off like the asshole I was!

“She’s not a threat! I swear, so please don’t hurt her!” she said panicking, making me sigh again before telling her,

“And like I said, kid, I’m not an idiot, I know who she’s related to.”

“Then why…?” she started to ask, making me hold back a growl.

“Because I’d like to assess the damage of who’s been sneaking in here and what it’s gonna cost me, seeing as you want me to keep this shit you pulled secret from mummy and daddy,” I said, feeling like a dick but needing to make my point, one I knew worked when her shoulders slumped.

“Okay, okay… so what do you want to know?” she conceded, making me hold back my victory grin.

“How old is she?” I found myself asking first, almost blurting that shit out.

“Eighteen, nearly nineteen,” she answered, making me release a relieved breath that I wasn’t fucking lusting after some underage girl that wasn’t even legal enough to drink a pint. Gods, but how had she got under my skin so fucking quickly, or even at all?

“She live in Evergreen?” I asked next, hoping like fuck she did, so I didn’t have that type of temptation walking that beautiful sinful body around London. Again, my hands fisted at the loss of having her body captured in my grasp, a prisoner that had fitted there far too fucking well.

“Yeah, but she will be going off to college soon,” she informed me, making me grit my teeth just thinking about all those fucking college boys sniffing around a knockout girl like that.

“Where?” I asked again, hoping it wasn’t fucking London, or even England for that matter. She frowned at this.

“Not sure why that’s relevant, but not here if you’re worried,” she answered, making me take a frustrated breath, knowing I was only half happy at hearing this. Gods, but she was a fucking Draven, for fuck sake, which meant it was time to get my head out of my ass!

“Good, then I shouldn’t find her on my stage again!” I snapped, feeling the pinch of those words like someone had just put a knife to my back and forced the tip into my flesh.

“Or any stage again for that matter,” Amelia muttered in a sad tone, making me frown down at her.

“What makes you say that, is that not what she wants to be in life?” I found myself asking and she was shocked but again, she didn’t comment the way I wanted her to, no, instead answering me,

“What Ella did on that stage… well, it’s been the first time in a while and what I can imagine to be her last.” Again, her answer irked me. Actually, scrap that, it down right pissed me off and I didn’t want to give weight to the reasons why, despite knowing them all too well.

Yet despite this, I still couldn’t stop myself from asking,

“Why the fuck not?”

“That’s not my story to tell, Jared,” she replied, causing a growl to slip through my restraint, one painting my next words dark and dangerous.

“The fuck it isn’t!” I snapped, making her frown back and now fold her own arms, which is when I realised I had gone too far. This was confirmed when she asked,

“What does it mean to you whether she dances again or not?” I knew I couldn’t risk saying more and used the upcoming fight as an excuse to get out of this fucked up conversation. So, I nodded to the front of the VIP and said,

“Come on, time to see if this hero of yours can fight or not.” She huffed at this but followed me as I knew she would. Yet, despite the next entertainment of the night, all I could seem to think about was the one before it.

That and a burning question…

Would I ever again see my stage graced once more with the girl who had got under this King’s skin.

Would I ever again get to see…

My Redheaded Little Dancing Girl.

ETERNALLY GAINED AND CLAIMED

PRESENT DAY

Now I knew.

Now I understood it all. Because from the very beginning I had felt a connection. I had felt that pull towards her, despite trying to deny it. Despite trying to make excuses and move on as if the important life changing encounter had never happened. Yet even then, I hadn’t been able to deny her presence from my dreams.

Dreams I had never admitted to anyone she had consumed since that day. In fact, I had convinced myself this had been part of the lure she held over me. The fact that my feral mind had fixated on that single moment and had become an obvious reason for why I had been drawn to her once our paths had crossed again. Also, the reason why my dreams had been filled with the many altered scenarios of that night was no longer a mystery. Moments that filtered through and replayed over and over again as something different. Moments where I had never let my brother take her from me but instead claimed her that very night, declaring to the world that she was mine.

That she was…

My Queen.

I would often wake angry or frustrated, my clawed fist in my bedding in my fury to find it not real seconds after opening my eyes. Of course, it had to be said that these dreams did at least lessen in time, but not to the point where they became extinct like half of me had wished that they had done. As for the other half, then my Beast’s fury would have been a problem left for me to face should she have disappeared from my memory completely.

But yet, I still had been stubborn enough to believe my fascination with her was just the result of a long, sometimes monotonous life suddenly finding something new and interesting to focus on. Gods, but what a fucking fool I had been!

Of course, now I knew this was not the case, and not long after throwing her over my shoulder back in Munich and carrying her to the car ready to take her back to London by force. The fucking panic I had felt when realising Orthrus had not been driving that car had my Beast roaring a single word of warning for the first time…

Mine.

And my first and shameful response in return had shocked me to my core…

Ours.

Ever since then, she had quickly become an addiction. One I knew I would soon have to give up as my brother had been right…

It hadn’t been fair on her.

Because I would have been an even bigger fool if I didn’t quickly realise that I hadn’t been the only one falling, and falling fucking hard at that. I knew how the girl felt about me as she hadn’t exactly held herself back… but then again, neither had I. Not as much as I knew I should have at the time. But like I said, the girl had been like an addiction I had flat-out refused to give up, regardless of right or wrong or in my world, bordering along the realms of criminal. Gods, but every time she had been taken or hurt, I had nearly lost my fucking mind!

I should have fucking known… I should have trusted my Beast. Trusted my instincts. But mostly, I should have…

Trusted my heart.

Because in that very moment, as she lay dying in my arms, I knew that I was going to lose her. Which was why I had acted without needing a single second of thought about what I was about to do. No, the only thing I had needed to know, was what her body required and how I was best to get my blood into whatever part of her that was making her body fail. I hadn’t even stopped when Amelia had pointed out what forcing my blood into her body truly meant.

I had, for the first time since meeting her, trusted my heart like I always should have done.

‘You will have to mate her!’ she had screamed at me, and in that moment, there had been no truer words spoken than when giving her my reply,

‘I don’t fucking care!’

Because in that definitive heartbeat I knew that I would have done anything in my power to save her. To stop the Gods from taking her from me. I would have damned my entire life and that of my HellBeast if that was what it would have taken. I would have gone to war with the Kings of my world and those beyond it. This, all despite once believing that I hadn’t been hot-headed enough to go against the very Fates themselves. But in that single moment, I turned myself into a liar, for as soon as she took her last breath in my arms, I knew then that I would have gone against every single force standing in my way.

I would have done so knowing I was doing it for the most powerful reason life offered you.

I would be doing it for love.

So that was precisely what I did, and despite knowing that I could have been sacrificing everything, my kingdom, my life and everything in between, none of it had mattered. Because from the very second my blood entered her body, I had known from the very depth of my fucked-up soul, that it had been the right thing to do.

That I was saving my woman.

The other half of my soul.

Keeper of my once broken heart.

Well, it wasn’t fucking broken any more, not since my Ella, something I knew deep down since the first time I saw her dancing on my stage. Too fucking stupid.

Well, I was done holding myself back! Because the second a decision had to be made, I had known. I had fucking known! It had been that simple and yet the complexity of my feelings was almost beyond all comprehension. I felt so many things it was almost like they were all unravelling from me the moment I thought I had truly lost her, even as my fight continued to bring her back. But who knew that the best fucking sound in all the worlds combined would be that of a choking cough? And that first sign of life was all I fucking needed!

I knew then why all those times she had been in trouble I had been terrified for the first fucking time in all my existence! My Beast had known and in turn, so had I. I had just been too fucking pig-headed to let myself realise it! Something that I wanted to kick my own ass for the moment the Fates shot me with an arrow of truth. A truth that hit me the very second I forced my life to connect with hers, gifting her my blood and a piece of my soul for her to keep always.

My Beast had roared his victory at finally being able to claim what had always been ours to claim, and the force of it hit me hard enough that, had I been standing, it would have knocked me to my knees. The realisation that the reason she hadn’t held the right scent for me to recognise from the start was because she had been sick. And now, as I carried my unconscious girl from the stage where we first met, it became symbolic, seeing as it was the very same place I had stated my claim. And if I were honest with myself, it had been one I had started even back that day.

But right now, it was time to discover the depth of her illness and the secret she had been clearly keeping from me. Something I would be asking her about when she woke. But for now, well her body needed the rest and time to allow my blood to heal whatever it was that ailed her. Even now, she looked so fragile, like some broken little doll in my arms, making me take even more care when placing her down on my bed. A place that no other had shared with me ever before, as my brother hadn’t been exaggerating when throwing my own reality back at me as a weapon of words.

I had never taken a woman to my bed since my change.

In fact, the last woman I had held in my arms as I slept had been so long ago, I had barely remembered the feeling. But that was the oddest thing. Because thinking back to my wife now, and all the memories that had once been chained to me no longer seemed to hold the same power over me they once had. I knew that should have affected me and flooded me with guilt. A guilt that I had admittedly carried for so long now that it felt strange with it no longer weighing down over me. Like some mental veil had been lifted like chain mail whipped off my back. It was…

Freeing.

I sat down next to her and stroked back her wild hair, a sight I fucking adored and had often found myself running my fingers through when I knew she slept soundly. At the time I had questioned why it had brought me so much comfort, just like touching the rest of her always did. It brought my Beast a level of calm I had never experienced before and now I no longer had to question why.

Because I knew.

And now it was time I knew it all.

After this silent moment taking in my girl and seeing all the blood that had spilled down her clothes, I spent time getting her undressed, taking great care not to wake her. Gods, but I don’t think I had ever been so gentle before. Every movement I made with her was more of a caress against the perfection that was her beautiful body. I found a pair of her pyjamas, the softest fucking ones I could find, and after cleaning her body with a warm cloth the best I could, I re-dressed her.

Then I tucked her in, fearing that she may get cold. I also knew that for myself, my body ran on the hotter side, giving me an inaccurate reading of her temperature as to me, she seemed too cold. So, as I was covering her, I found myself wondering when I could get more of my blood into her, asking myself how much it would take to rid her completely of her illness. This was when I felt a presence invade our private world.

“You never told me she was sick,” I said in dangerous calm, keeping my tone even the moment I felt Amelia entering the room, speaking without taking my eyes off my girl.

My Little Red.

“Jared, I…” Amelia started to say, but stopped the moment I started to growl low enough that it wouldn’t wake Ella but was enough for the warning to be loud and clear.

“I understand what you are going through in this moment having experienced it for myself, therefore I will forgive you for growling at my Queen and let it go with a warning against doing so a second time, HellBeast,” the Vampire threatened, and I couldn’t say I blamed him, for I wasn’t sure I would have offered such if it had been aimed at my own Fated.

“Lucius, it’s fine,” she argued.

“It is never fine, but only this once accepted without blood being spilled,” Lucius replied, and thankfully I was saved from pushing him into that bloodshed by what my answer might have been. Because my temper was lost the second my girl whispered my name and I finally… fucking finally… heard my girl’s voice for the first time in weeks.

“Jared?”

“Her voice! It’s back!” Amelia shouted in surprise from behind me as I had not had the time to explain why I thought this would happen… what I had hoped, and fucking prayed would happen. Because the moment I had felt her leaving this world, I had sensed the presence of the bastard trying to take over her host as they had been connected after he had stolen her voice. Which was why it had been returned the very second I had brought her back, bringing with it that stolen piece of her.

“Ssshh, Ella, I’m here, go back to sleep, sweetheart…” I cooed down at her gently, failing to keep the emotion from my voice that made it hoarse, and no doubt why she flinched at the sound.

“It’s okay, you’re safe, baby, I’ve got you,” I told her, at the same time stroking back her hair and trying to offer her as much comfort as possible. I also knew that she needed to sleep and there was one conversation with her cousin I had to have, and it wasn’t one I wanted spoken about in front of her.

In truth, I was torn. Because, as much as I didn’t want to leave her, I also knew how important it was to get to the truth of what was medically wrong with my girl. To know if and what extra care she may need. Something that put me with a potential time constraint, as I didn’t know if my blood had been enough or not. But I wanted to be fucking sure.

“How is her voice back?” Amelia asked, more quietly this time, making me release a heavy sigh.

“Not here, she needs her rest as her body is accepting my blood and will need time after the amount she consumed,” I told her on a whisper, after sensing that Ella was calm enough once more that she must have fallen back to sleep. I therefore nodded towards the door after fighting the urge not to kiss her forehead, fearing this too would wake her. Because like I said, after such a traumatic experience, her body still needed time to process all the changes my blood would continue to make, and sleeping through them was most likely for the better. Besides, I needed this conversation to happen between her cousin and I, as once she was awake, then I didn’t want anything to come between us again.

I was still aware that the battle may have been won in saving her life but winning the war with her heart was still something I needed to face. In truth, I had no idea how much of what was said between my brother and I she had heard, but it had been enough to put herself at risk of her body failing and that…

Was. Not. Fucking. Acceptable.

In all honestly, I didn’t know who I was more furious at, myself or Ella for pushing herself to the point of near death! Of course, the guilt I felt at being the cause for such pain was immeasurable. But now that I knew she was my Fated, which therefore meant that by the Gods’ law nothing could stand in my way, it made my feelings for her justified in my actions. For nothing would take her from me now.

No one would dare.

So yes, I would have to face her when she woke, along with arguing my reasons why that conversation took place to begin with. But even if it took me years to make it up to her, then I would fucking do it. I would do anything for her. She would soon realise this. I would make it my fucking mission in life to do right by her, for the Gods knew that I hadn’t done up until this point. But at least now I knew why I hadn’t been able to give her up, as no King ever could. It was destined to be this way. Which was the reason walking away now was just as difficult as it always had been, the only difference now was that at least I knew why.

“Jared, what is going on?” Amelia asked the moment we were through the door, making me first look to the Vampire who also followed us out and was now standing with his arm hooked around his own Chosen One’s waist. I frowned back at my bedroom door, knowing this was one conversation when my temper was going to rear its ugly head. Which was why I decided my office was a more practical place to be having this conversation.

“Not here,” I stated firmly, before walking down the staircase and making my way out the door, only to find my council all waiting. Every soul loyal to me, along with my brother, which was why I was not shocked to see every single face looking concerned. But, like I said, this didn’t exactly surprise me, as there weren’t many people who had met my Ella and didn’t instantly fall in love with her. Not that anyone would dare say as much to me, fearing my wrath. Because it had been true what Orth had said. These last few weeks, I had been ready to tear heads from necks whenever I found myself without her for too long. Again, now I knew why.

“Chase and Otto, I want you on the door in case my girl wakes. One of you come get me if she does, but whatever you fucking do, don’t let her leave, you understand?” I snapped, making Chase agree,

“Not suicidal, Boss.” I grunted at this and said,

“The rest of you, with me… wait, where the fuck is Marcus this time?”

“Pencil dick said he is following a hunch, whatever the fuck that means,” my brother replied.

“It matters not, as clearly his seeking is still fucked,” I replied on a frustrated sigh, dragging my hand through my hair and ignoring the drips of dried blood down my forearms. I also didn’t have to ask myself why I hadn’t yet let my own bite heal over the rose tattooed on my arm, knowing I wanted the fucking reminder of this day for eternity.

A scar that would forever remind me of what I had nearly lost, but most importantly,

What I had eternally gained…

My Claimed Girl.

4

BROKEN LITTLE DANCER

My mind continued to go back to all those times that she had danced for me on that stage, which was why the next argument out of my mouth was what it was,

“But she has danced for me before and never has she…” Amelia was quick to interrupt me this time,

“…Yes well, my guess is that she had been without medication for too long and it caught up with her body when pushing it to its limits the way… erm… she has been known to do… oh, don’t look at me like that, she just wanted to live a normal life, Jared, can you really blame her?” I felt my jaw tense before I gritted out,

“Yes, I fucking can, especially if it means putting herself in danger the way she did!” This barked reply ended with me slashing an angry hand down through the air, one thick enough with my rage you could almost taste it. I turned my back on the source of my anger and dragged a hand over my hair before shouting,

“Why the fuck didn’t she tell me!?”

“Why do you think, Jared? The girl has had a thing for you since the first day she met you, and you threw her being human in her face like an insult. After that, I don’t think she wanted to give you chance to add to it by letting you know how weak her body was,” Amelia said, hitting me with some truth causing my fucking guilt to double!

“I didn’t know her back then, but I know her now. And it’s now that she should have told me,” I argued, knowing that even to my own ears it was lacking strength.

“Maybe she just didn’t want to give you any more of an excuse not to choose her… ever think about that!?” Amelia snapped, making me narrow my gaze.

“Yes well, I believe it’s your daddy dearest who sets the fucking rules, so next time you want to point the finger of blame, maybe swing it his way for a second. I couldn’t have claimed her even when I fucking wanted to without knowing for fucking certain that she was my fated!” I barked back, throwing some fucking reality her way and making her flinch because of it.

“Now, tell me of her medication,” I snapped, getting back on track to the important shit I needed to know, and off this pointless blame-game that had too many players on the board. Because right now, I needed to know if there was anything more she may need, as in all honestly, I had no idea how long my blood would last or how much of it she would need before it eradicated the disease from her body once and for all. Until this happened, I needed to know all I could learn and most importantly, that included what her body needed.

“She should be having regular treatments of enzyme replacement therapy or medications that affect the making of fatty molecules, called substrate reduction therapy. These are called ERT infusions and from what I know, she would usually be having one of these every two weeks,” Amelia told me, and being the cause of yet another shit storm that was my temper.

“Fuck! Fuck! FUCK… but that means she has been without for nearly a fucking month, and that depends if she even had one just before arriving in Germany!” I roared, making even Orthrus swear under his breath.

“I checked, and according to her records she was due for her treatment just before she was attacked, so has been without much longer,” Lucius informed me, making me growl in my rage. A rage that, this time, was aimed solely at Ella for being so fucking foolish! So fucking careless with her life, one that was fucking important to me, damn it!

“You did?” Amelia asked in surprise, now getting back to her feet and stepping next to her Vampire.

“I knew this conversation would potentially arise, so thought it would be helpful to know,” Lucius replied, making her rub a hand to his belly in silent thanks before she turned back to me.

“Jared, I swear I thought she would tell you, you have to believe me, I never believed she would leave it this long… I never…”

I held up a hand to her, silently telling her to stop, as I believed her. Because it was clear she cared deeply for her cousin, and I knew she would not have put her in any risk that way. No, that risk had been all on Ella, which was why I released a pained sigh, knowing deep down why she hadn’t… not when she always tried to appear so strong for me. But then, living in pain for so long, it was little wonder how she was able to act as if it never bothered her. As if her injuries looked worse than they were, when in actual fact, she had most likely been in more pain with them than most.

Fuck!

“I need to know everything. I’ll need a list of medication she takes. Orth, get me those fucking records!” I ordered my brother, knowing he would have them within the hour, making me feel like an idiot that I hadn’t already done this. I should have taken a page from the Vampire’s book and discovered every fucking thing I could about her that was possible! But all I had thought important enough to know was where she lived and what truck she drove. What job she had and something I hadn’t fully understood at the time, but if she was single or not. I would tell myself this was so I would be prepared for some dickhead storming inside her trailer and trying to act like the fucking hero.

But deep down, I knew the truth.

I had wanted her for myself. Wanted her even back then, over Limoncello and cookies. Gods, but just being inside that tiny trailer of hers made me feel like a fucking giant but it gave me the perfect excuse to be closer to her, so I hadn’t complained. I had, however, hated leaving her there in it, forcing myself to do so when I thought the threat was over. I even remember burying my nose in her neck after Marcus had taken away her memories of me and made her sleep. Even then I had searched for something, even the barest of hints that was enough to convince myself that she was destined to be mine.

My disappointment had pissed me off for days.

Well, after finally getting the report, something Orth was slapping in my hand in half the time I had given him, it was of little wonder her scent was off. Fuck me but the list of drugs. She would get a cocktail pumped into her intravenously, but then there were drugs for her weak bones, and for pain relief for her fractures and arthritis. Basically, her body would break easily, which was why she slipped and told the doctor this wasn’t her first rodeo when breaking her arm. It was also why she spoke of her X-rays as having many breaks, something I discovered in her medical files.

If I hadn’t known about the disease, then I would have said she was either the clumsiest fucking girl on the planet or was in an abusive relationship. But that was the thing, she didn’t tell me because she thought I would see her as weak. Yet the truth was, I thought of her as one of the strongest girls I had ever met. To push back against every obstacle set against her body and fight for the life she wanted, no matter the risk or the pain… well, it took the strongest of characters and that was only to be admired. She didn’t take the easy way out and use her illness as an excuse, but instead simply as a reason to work harder for the life she wanted.

She was fucking astounding!

Although, that wasn’t to say that I wasn’t still fucking furious at her for putting herself in danger like that and all for what…? Fucking pride? It was unacceptable and not something I would allow to happen ever again. Because now I knew it all, there was no going back for either of us. There was no hiding or secrets raised up like castle walls between us. I would tell her everything of my past, and I knew this included the one part I loathed to tell. But she deserved to know the truth because if I were honest with myself, then really, what difference was there between us? What was there that she had done that I myself hadn’t also… fucking secrets! Of course, the secrets I kept couldn’t have taken her life, or my own for that matter. But they had been the cause of her recklessness, so I knew I needed to own my shit and take responsibility for my own part played.

The Asshole King I had been.

Which was why I walked back to my home in hopes that she was awake, and we could start our new life together from the new foundations we made today. Ones built from truth and honesty, starting with admitting how I felt about her. For now, my own walls that once surrounded my heart had broken down and crumbled to dust the moment I was finally… fucking finally… able to claim the girl of my dreams. That web of forbidden love I had been entrapped in long ago, and an endless abyss I had been falling deeper into the more time I had spent with her. Starting with the very first second I had leapt onto that stage, ready to claim my dancing girl.

My Little Red Riding Hood.

Damn the changed scent of her.

Fuck, but if only I had known, then I could have looked further into it, and all those years I had denied myself the reality that I pined for her would never have happened. My Beast had known… he had fucking known!

Well, there was no more waiting now!

I was determined… she would be mine.

Starting with approaching my door.

“Anything to report?” I asked the married couple who had also come to care for my girl.

“All quiet, boss.” Chase answered, making me sigh and nod before relieving them both of their duty,

“Right, go piss off and enjoy your night, tell the men I’m not to be disturbed.” Otto gave me a salute, making his husband smirk with a wag of his brows, and I rolled my eyes before chuckling. Then I walked through the door, hoping like fuck my night included what they insinuated as I was near fucking desperate to finally have the freedom to get my hands on my girl. But then again, I would feel like the luckiest asshole in the world just receiving a fucking hug at this point. Because I knew that this next conversation was going to be as difficult as fuck.

Half of me hoped she was still asleep, and that way I may get to hold her for a while before she awoke, as it would help centre my Beast. A Beast who had been fucking howling at me to go back to her since walking out the door. Although, by the time I got upstairs and stepped inside my room…

I knew why.

My Heartbroken Girl…

Was Gone.

5

HELLBEAST HEART’S BREAKING

“Fuck, fuck… FUCK!” I roared the second I tore through my home and found her gone! I ended up standing in the middle of my living space, coming close to tearing my fucking hair out while asking myself where the fuck she could be. I tore my phone out of my pocket and called Smidge.

“What does our girl need?” she asked, making me unable to help my furious growl of words.

“SHE’S FUCKING GONE! I need every fucker here and NOW… including her cousin and the Vampire!”

“Wait, she’s gone?! How is that fucking possible, I just spoke to Chase and Otto and they said there was no movement and, boss, they would not have been lax in their duties,” Smidge replied, just as astonished as I was.

“Well, she fucking got out somehow!” I barked, making Smidge start talking, but it was when she stopped that really got me.

“I swear she couldn’t have slipped by them, J, they didn’t fucking move and unless she… wait a fucking minute… fuck me, that bitch!” I froze in my angry pacing and warned in a dangerous tone,

“Smidge, my Beast is at a hairbreadth here…”

“Morag! She bumped into Ella, I thought nothing of it at the time, as she often is spouting all that destiny shit.” I felt my knuckles crack as my hand made a fist by my side.

“What kind of destiny shit, Smidge?” I gritted out.

“She said something about heartbreak and fuck, the boulder, check the passageway, J, that’s the only way she could have gotten out!” I suddenly dropped the phone on a roar of anger, knowing that Smidge should have told me! And she fucking knew it as my hearing picked up her apologies even as I ran from the phone, and towards what I assumed was a hidden passageway… that had remained hidden for a fucking reason!

One that was hidden no more!

The second I picked up her scent where it shouldn’t fucking be, my Beast howled. An echoing pain surrounded me as I tore through the tunnels hoping like the fucking devil, I wasn’t too late! That she had not long ago woken and decided to run because I knew that I was a fuck load faster and therefore had a chance of catching her.

I couldn’t let her go!

Which meant that by the time I finally made it through to the abandoned underground station, I was near fucking frantic! I knew I had fucked up before, but this… Gods, it was even worse than I had imagined. At first, I had tried to scent others, fearing that she had been taken again, but when it was only her presence I found, I knew then how deeply that hurt was still buried. Hurt I had unintentionally inflicted by denying my Chosen One for so long… denying my feelings for her.

And why? All because she hadn’t knocked me on my ass with the first scent of her! But of course, my Beast had been getting closer to her as time went on, what with the medication leaving her body more and more each day. And here was me, foolishly believing that it had just been because we were getting more attached to her being around, that my Beast was confused.

But wasn’t that just the fucking kicker…

I had been the only Asshole confused!

I snarled at the sight of the broken lock on the door that I knew would lead out of the station and up to street level. The only thing I could hope for was that she found the top still locked and I would soon be finding a frustrated Ella sitting there and asking herself ‘what now’. Fuck, but I felt like praying for it!

“NO!” I bellowed the second I saw another lock broken and shutters folded back with the doors beyond it now ajar. So, I burst from them, as if I was only seconds away from gaining on her. But then reality soon kicked in when I reached the street and scanned as far as my eyesight would allow, seconds before the awful truth hit me.

She was really gone.

Fuck, but only if she had given me a chance… just one fucking chance to explain!

“FUCK!” I roared, throwing my arms back and letting my Beast’s fury free for only a second. I ignored the concerned, frightened looks by people passing by, knowing I couldn’t waste a fucking second as I raced back inside. Then, taking only a second to bend part of the gate around the door handles so no one could get back inside. After this, I ran as fast as my legs would take me back the way I came, thinking for a moment that I could scent Marcus and asking myself why. But then it was faint enough to make excuses for him, as it couldn’t have been recent enough to warrant suspicion.

So, I continued on, with my heart trying to pound its way out of my fucking chest! She had left me. She was gone. She was out there… unprotected.

She had left me, even after she knew what had happened on that stage. Even after she knew that I had Claimed her. Although, even I had to admit that I hadn’t yet been given the chance to claim her fully and well, right now we seemed to be a million miles away from that point. In fact, the only reason I was keeping my Beast at bay and from breaking out of my skin was the knowledge that it wouldn’t help in getting her back. That he needed me to remain in control and get shit done, as orders needed to be made. Which meant that having a fucking HellBeast running around the city of London, scaring the shit out of the mortal population was less than fucking helpful!

Thankfully, he submitted enough for me to keep control, so that by the time I got back to my home and found my council waiting, I was at least thankful for the efficiency of Smidge.

“Ella?! Where is she, did you find her?!” Amelia shouted in a panic the second I stepped from behind the boulder. I refrained from growling the fucking obvious at the girl, knowing I had no one else to blame for this but myself. Because I knew she cared deeply for her cousin, so I was thankful when Lucius tucked her closer and whispered the obvious answer down in her ear. As for me, I would have no such patience,

“She is gone and now I want every fucking person we have on getting her back, there is no other fucking problem in the world right now, am I understood?!” I demanded, making everyone in the room nod their heads in agreement.

“Amelia, you know your cousin better than anyone… I need you to think, where would she go?” I asked, making her shoulders slump before admitting,

“She doesn’t really know the city that well.”

“Yeah, well she knows it a lot fucking better now.” I practically growled the words, knowing this was my fault, seeing as I had given her a fucking tour of the place.

“Smidge, give me your phone,” I said, taking it from her and typing out all of the places I had taken her on our date.

“These are the places she knows, get our boys out there and tell them to fucking wait until I make the order to call them back. Satish, get out there and run that shit.”

“Will do,” he said, leaving with Smidge so they could coordinate that side of the plan.

“Well, she sure as shit isn’t going to get far without any money,” my brother pointed out, making me quickly scan the living room until I found what I was looking for. Then I stormed over to the front door and snatched up my wallet, swearing the second I realised Orthrus was wrong,

“Fuck! Well, now she has about eight hundred quid on her!” I gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Maybe she will try going home,” Amelia suggested and damn it, but she could manage it with that money.

“Afterlife, she’s heading there,” Marcus said, striding through the door, making me snap,

“Where the fuck have you been?!”

“Doing my fucking job as your Seeker, J, that’s what I’ve been doing,” he barked back, making me release a heavy sigh before rubbing the back of my neck in frustration.

“You saw this?” I asked, and he gave me a pointed look in return.

“Yeah, J, I saw it.”

“Czar, I want her passport blocked just in case, and all airports tracked.”

“It will be done,” he said, nodding and leaving with Chase and Otto.

“What if she doesn’t go that way?” Amelia asked cryptically, now looking thoughtful.

“What’s she gonna do, sprout wings and fly across the ocean herself?” my brother asked with a scoff.

“What about Whitley Court?” Amelia queried suddenly, giving me a bad feeling as I asked in a hard tone,

“And just how would she know about that, Amelia?”

“I told her, okay? I mean, I didn’t think it would hurt to know how to get home if the shit hit the fan.”

I growled, turning from her so I wouldn’t bare my Beast’s fangs at her like he wanted to.

“Aw, fuck, kid, why would you do that?” my brother responded on my behalf and thankfully, he didn’t growl it at her like I would have done. But thinking more on it and I knew that nothing could come of it, regardless of what her cousin had told her, which was why I snapped,

“It doesn’t fucking matter anyway!”

“Why not?” Icarius was the one to ask this time and it was surprising to hear his concern, for the scary fucker barely said anything. But then his reaction to her on the plane had been a curious one, as he had seemed patient with her… fuck, but for him, it could have been classed as downright friendly.

“Because she doesn’t have a way to access the temple, that’s why, as she has no coin.” At this, Amelia suddenly gasped and then before saying a word, she tore herself from Lucius’ arms and was running up the stairs into my room. Naturally, I quickly followed, and stranger still, found her in my bathroom, now tearing things out of the cupboard under the sink, tossing towels out onto the floor like a mad woman.

“Fuck!” she hissed and again, that pit in my stomach sank even deeper than before.

“What?!” I couldn’t keep the growl from this single word. She stood up straighter and after wincing, she told me solemnly,

“She does now.” I frowned, and started shaking my head as I took a disbelieving step backward. My hands gripping onto the doorframe with the wood practically crumbling in my bruising grip. But no matter how much I tried to deny the possibility, it started to catch up with me and then suddenly, it quickly slammed into place.

Because she didn’t just have any coin… no.

She had my coin.

The only one my Chosen would know about, just like the Fates had told me she would. Fuck, but it was now so obvious I felt like a fucking fool! That was how she had got back out that night. She had found my coin, one that would call to her having her Fated One’s blood on it.

My blood.

The only one powerful enough to open the door. For it was only my essence capable achieving it.

And now she was going to use it again, only this time to gain access to a quick way home.

Back to her Afterlife.

FINDING MY WAY

ELLA

Sitting on the train, I watched as the world whizzed by untouched, yet there was one person still tainted by my heartbreak. My world had been drained of all colour and painted in the shades of darkness that was the tone of my guilt. He had only claimed me to save my life out of duty, and now I had potentially put him at risk with my uncle.

The King of Kings.

Which was why I needed to get home and sort this shit out, because if there was one person who knew what to do, it would be my Aunty Kazzy. So, this was where I was at. Here with my stolen money in my pocket and a coin that had been meant for another to find, and nothing else but my heavy heart cracking with each mile I put between us. My guilt bore down on me, but my need to get away from him weighed even more. Even the moment when I had breached the last set of doors, it had felt as if I was walking back into a different world, and it was…

One where Jared didn’t rule.

I also had to wonder who broke the lock this time and questioned if it had been Marcus who had helped me? But more than that, I questioned why? Did he know something more than what he had said to me back in that weird, abandoned station? Sure, he had tried to convince me not to leave but he also said the outcome would be the same even if I did, so was that why he felt compelled to help me regardless? I just didn’t know.

After all, I had saved him from Jared’s wrath, so maybe this was simply that debt he felt he owed me stamped off as being paid. Like I said, I had no idea, only that someone had helped me leave once more, and I was grateful. Which was why I had pushed the gates back the moment I made it to the top of the staircase, that I gathered would lead back to street level. I had pushed on the doors and taken my first step into what I hoped was my own mortal normality. Then I stepped out to find the rising morning sun… after I’d put everything back in place, in hopes that if anyone came looking for me, then at first glance they would think it was still locked.

Of course, I was shocked to find it was a place I recognised, as I remembered my date with Jared. That one, single most perfect day in my life so far… well, up until the point we had made it back to his pub and all the shit had hit the fan. Or should I say, the bullets and white foam. Yet admittedly, Jared had been one fire that couldn’t have been extinguished in that moment and it had taken a little time later to find out why. But now, well now I was questioning why he had cared so much if he was always destined to love another?

None of it made sense but then, when had it ever?!

He had made me feel so much, made me fall so deeply but why… why if he knew what it would only do to me in the end? How could he have been that cruel and careless with my heart? I just didn’t understand it. Because really, what had he thought would happen in the end?

When all was said and done, where had he thought my heart would go? Did he think it would simply wither away painlessly and that my feelings for him would just pass me by like some fading memory? Did he think I would wake one day and forget it all, that I would forget all the laughter, or the feel of his touch. The way he held me to him as we slept or the teasing way he looked at me. The mirth in his startling grey eyes burning silver when I knew he wanted me. How could he have faked it all? But more than that…

Why would he?

Again, none of it made any sense, and there was even less sense to be found by the time I made my way inside a taxicab, or even after I had arrived at that train station. What had struck me, however, the second I had stepped through that old abandoned underground station, was a memory that hadn’t yet faded. Because as I reached the main street, I looked back down to where I had just escaped through. It was then that I knew I was doing the very same as Jared had done when we had walked home that day. He had stared at it enough for me now to question why.

Had he subconsciously known something that day?

Had this too been fated like Marcus believed?

I didn’t know but like I said, I didn’t know a lot of things when it came to Jared’s world and nor was I ever likely to know. No, all I needed to do now was try and fix the mistakes I had forced others to make.

So, after remembering my cousin’s words of wisdom, I made my way from London Paddington on the three-hour journey to Worcester’s Shrub Hill Station. It was just unfortunate that I had to wait over an hour for my first train, then wait some more when I had to change trains. Which I had to say, caused me to look like some super paranoid person when constantly looking around at the exits as though any minute Jared was going to turn up with his biker posse and throw me over his shoulder like some leather-clad caveman.

Thankfully though, this hadn’t happened, making me wonder if he even knew I had left yet and if he did… did he even care? Or did he simply think that the problem had just walked out of his life and that way, he could pass my protection on to the next poor fool. But then I tried to remember how he had been so adamant with his brother about not letting me go… so the main question was…

Would he feel differently now?

After the torturous train journey, where I questioned what he would do next over and over again, I exited the station and got in yet another cab. This was to a place called Witley Court, a place that Amelia had told me about in the bathroom after I had showed her the coin. A place that secretly belonged to my uncle. She also told me that once there, I was to throw Jared’s coin into the fountain, and this would unlock the hidden passageway into what was known to the Supernatural world as the Temple of Janus.

The God of Time.

It all sounded like some epic fantasy novel to me. But then after what I had already witnessed of Jared’s world, then I wouldn’t have been surprised if the flying monkeys from Wizard of Oz came flying out of there the second it opened. At this point, I was willing to believe just about anything was possible.

But she had told me that once inside the Temple, I would find a secret doorway, explaining it in detail. Oh, and she also said for me to stay far away from the fountain inside it, explaining that I wouldn’t be able to miss it. A warning I would take seriously as I knew I was most definitely about to step into the unknown once more, just like I had that day I’d first stepped into Jared’s forbidden domain.

I also spent a little time on the journey wondering how I was expected to break inside this Witley Court… then I quickly realised that wouldn’t be a problem the second I arrived.

“It’s a tourist attraction?” I questioned aloud once I had paid for the cab, now looking outside the doors with a sign for something called the National Trust.

“Not what I was expecting,” I muttered to myself as I had been thinking it would be someone’s private manor house and I would have to try and convince some caretaker to let me in as I was related to the owner or something like that. However, this wasn’t the case at all and in actual fact, all I needed was ten pounds to get me in. I even managed a small smile, thinking that at least this was cheaper than the airfare it would have cost me back to Portland, Maine.

But that was when the smiles promptly ended as after making my way through the beautiful and seemingly untamed grounds of Witley Court, I came to the stately home, surprised to find it a mere shell of the glory it once was.

“What… what happened here?” I asked in shock as I stepped up to a little hut at the bottom of what looked like a wide gravel driveway, one that would take you straight to the entrance steps of the once grand house.

“Oh, you don’t know? Well, on the night of 7 September 1937, the head keeper spotted flames blazing from the roof above the servants’ quarters in the south-east corner. After that, there was no hope of controlling it, not when it was fanned by a strong wind, meaning that the fire spread rapidly downwards into the reception rooms on the main floor. By the next day, most of the house was a smouldering shell… say, do you want one of the audio guides, it tells you a lot more about the history of the place?” the kind girl asked, who looked both young and enthusiastic for history, reminding me of Fae in that way.

“Erm, maybe later, right now I am just looking for a fountain, it’s one my friend told me about and…”

“Oh, you mean the Perseus and Andromeda fountain, sure thing, you can walk around the path, following the left side of the house or you can just walk straight through… oh sorry, what a racket, must be a bike rally on somewhere near here.” I turned quickly when I heard what she was referring to as there was a sudden and a very distinct sound of motorbikes…

Lots of them.

Fuck!

“Erm, okay, no problem, thanks!” I said, practically running the first way she mentioned as I didn’t want to chance getting lost inside the house, not really knowing what state it was inside. So, I started running, amazed at how easy it came to me as for the first time since I could remember, I did so with zero pain. I even knew that my broken arm was likely healed, but hadn’t even thought to try and remove the cast. As for running, my weak lungs didn’t burn and the ache in my bones was gone completely.

Jesus, but it was like being reborn into a brand-new body, and one that had no weakness to speak of. If felt… well, it felt freeing. Of course, what didn’t feel freeing was the fact I was now being hunted down by Jared and his crew. Because all those questions I had spent most the journey here torturing myself with had just been answered.

Yes, he knew I had left.

No, he wasn’t happy to pass my protection off to another.

Yes, he was going to be pissed,

No, he was not going to just let me go that easily.

Because if I was wrong in all this, then why was he here now? Having, no doubt, ordered his men to jump on their bikes the second he discovered where I was headed and gun his way up here.

Well, either way, there was no way I was going back there again! There was no way I was allowing him to play with my heart once more. I just needed to find a way to sever all ties between us and walk away for good. So, with this in the forefront of my mind, one firmly made up, I ran until the extensive gardens opened up in front of me like an ocean of green. As though I was the boat now far from the shore and with only one destination in my sights; a stunning fountain in the centre of it all, like a stone island that held my salvation against the storm I could hear brewing louder at my back.

I ran around the building and down the gravel centre that led straight to the fountain dead in front of me, and the roar of pipes grew louder. Then the spectacular sight of Perseus and Andromeda fired up its water, making it come to life with the noise of an express train. But it wasn’t quite enough to drown out the sound of Fate trying to catch up with me, which was why I had the coin in my hand before I even got to the edge, throwing it in there even before I stopped.

“ELLA!” I heard Jared bellowing my name, and I looked back long enough to see him practically stepping from his bike as it was still moving, making it slide sideways on the gravel. Then he was running towards me, but in that time, a secret entrance had started to emerge. So, I ignored all the sea creatures that framed the base of the fountain, each with their curly fish tales and jets of water overflowing from open mouths. I also ignored the rumbling sound of grinding stone and the way the water started to ripple as large steppingstones beneath the murky depths started to rise to the surface.

No, I just ran for it.

I had barely even let the last step appear before I made it all the way across, something that managed to get me soaking wet-through in the process as water rained down above me. I willed the opening to reveal itself faster as a quick look back showed Jared getting closer to the fountain as he ran full speed towards me.

“Come on… come on!” I muttered impatiently, as I really didn’t want to wait and find out what would happen to me once he got close enough to make a grab for me. But with my only option of escape being this hidden entrance into the Janus Temple, then I had no choice but to watch and wait. It was as if time was slowing down as one of the massive stone clam shells that were situated between the sea creatures started to fold upwards before revealing a doorway behind.

Meaning I now had a means of escape, one I quickly took.

“NO! Ella, don’t! DON’T FUCKING DO THIS!” he roared, making me ignore the rain of water soaking me to the skin, and I turned back just in time to tell him ten seconds before he was close enough to stop me,

“I am sorry… sorry for everything but I will make this right… if it’s the last thing I ever do.” Then I ignored his roar of rage and the splashing of water behind me, and stepped through just as he was leaping over the sides of the fountain. I panicked, wondering why it hadn’t yet closed and therefore ended up feeling all around the sides of the doorway in hopes of finding some hidden way of sealing it shut. I swear but it felt as if my heart was going to beat its way right out of my chest, as even through the heavy rain of water, I could see the anger and frustration on his stern face.

But just as I was seconds away from him reaching me, I finally felt a piece of the rock give under my palm before that grinding sound of stone was heard once more. Then, just as he was reaching out through the water to make a grab for me, calling my name as he did, both sound and sight were cut off simultaneously.

“Ella!”

After this, the last thing I heard was the sound of his rage, one loud enough to penetrate the stone wall between us.

The sound of his anger but more than all else…

The sound of…

His pain.

7

TIME IS EVERYTHING

That had been too close.

I don’t know how long I stayed there with my back to that stone listening to the anger bursting from Jared, but half of me wondered if he had the strength to erupt through the rock that separated us. I knew then that if it was thin enough for me to hear him, then it was most likely some magical barrier that made it impossible for him to break through. Something I was sure he would have done by now if capable.

It was also obvious that he didn’t have a coin of his own or he would have also used it by now. So, as soon as I was assured that he was stuck right where he was, I finally took a shuddered breath, only now just realising that I wasn’t standing here shaking in utter darkness like I should have been. No, instead I was surrounded by warmth thanks to the flames that had erupted the moment I closed the doorway, making me realise I must have triggered something more than just closing the door.

Of course, I couldn’t have been more thankful for this, especially considering it lit the path in front of me. And well, seeing as it was nothing but steep stone steps straight down, then I knew that I would have most likely killed myself on them without any light to guide me. But the source of the light also managed to take the chill from the damp space. They came from recesses in the wall above my head, as if there was a hidden channel behind the large stone blocks and a small river of fire that flowed there. You could see the flames licking at the air from the missing blocks, offering enough light to illuminate my way.

It also meant that by the time I finally made it to what I assumed was the bottom, I was nearly dry. Once again, I was also amazed to have made it this far, and without any pain at that! Something that made me realise how hard this would have been had my body been back to contending with my usual limitations. However, by the time I reached the door, I was still out of breath, even if my bones were holding strong.

“Oh, thank God for that!” I wheezed out.

Then I pushed open the door, happy to find it was unlocked and therefore forgoing the need to swear like a pirate shit on by his own parrot. However, the second I walked through, I couldn’t hold back my reaction, as I stood, dumbstruck, in total awe and astonishment.

“Oh… My… God…” This was in reference to the colossal sized space that was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life! I don’t know why I expected some ancient looking temple, like one found in the movies where the hero fights his way into the middle of the jungle. However, what I got was a concert hall sized atrium in an octagon shape that branched off in eight different directions. Every section of its tall walls was covered by so many doors, I wouldn’t have been able to count them all unless given years to do so.

“Jesus, but what is this place?” I asked myself, despite a second later remembering what Amelia had told me after asking about the coin. Something about the Temple of Janus being where all portal doors were accessible and each of these led to some realm in either, Heaven, Hell or something called the Elemental realm.

Although, I did also remember her saying there were countless realms and that these were just the main three. Yet each of these also held thousands of doors. She told me to think of it like an international airport flying to way too many destinations to list. Well, the Janus Temple acted like a station of sorts, as it was the only place on Earth that housed such a collection of gateways. Of course, she also said that not all these portals could be accessed, as it was not as simple as just walking up to a door and turning the handle.

Well, one look at them and I wasn’t exactly shocked, as most of them didn’t even have a handle to speak of! And these were just the ones I could see. Each of these eight corridors that branched off were longer than my eyesight could reach, as there seemed to be no end in sight. Oh, and they were each wide enough that giants could have easily walked down them, and with them being seven stories high, they were high enough too. That was how big the place was. Each level held a balcony walkway so each row of doors could be accessible. This made possible by the ornately carved wooden spiral staircases that were located at each corner of the octagon-shaped room.

As for these doors, well they were made from what looked like every man-made material in existence. There were even ones made out of what looked like broken pieces of pottery from the ancient Greek period, with its typical black and orange designs, depicting what looked like Hercules fighting monsters.

But with so many types, there were everything from the new, clean and polished, to the old, rickety and dilapidated, with ones made from more natural resources in between. One incredible door looked to be made from a giant amethyst crystal geode, one that sparkled from what strangely looked like natural light flooding in from the domed ceiling above. A sight that didn’t make much sense seeing as I was underground, but then again, there was little about this place that did make sense.

The only thing these many doors seemed to have in common, was that they all held some sort of keystone above them. Each decorated by a different symbol that sometimes matched the quirky design of the door, with some more done in a classic style being carved into stone or plaques of wood.

But as if it couldn’t get any weirder, all I needed to do was look to the centre of the octagonal room and there I would find what seemed to be the heart of it all. As there was an enormous water feature that reached the very top of the ceiling and was simple in its design, being a flowing column of water wider than a bus. But what made this fountain even more incredible than the sheer size of it, was that gravity played no part in its making. This was because the water didn’t rain down like all other fountains, but instead it flowed upwards in the wrong direction towards the Heavens above.

Now this had been another thing Amelia had warned me about, telling me that under no circumstance was I to touch it. Something about it being what powered all the portals, drawing its strength from the God Janus, feeding from his very essence. I had naturally wanted to ask what would happen if someone touched it. Hence why I soon found myself running from the bathroom to grab my half-torn notepad so as I could communicate this with her. Naturally, her answer had shocked me beyond words…

“It will judge you and grant you access only if it finds you worthy of the cause.” After frowning in that typical questioning way people do, I had then asked her about the judgement. I would never forget the way she shivered as if hit by some personal memory she didn’t want to share. Then she told me,

“It will kill those that dare try and use it without the purest of intentions.” After this I had understood her reaction to it, but this even more so after I wrote down the rest of my questions.

‘So, I guess not many people have even tried?’

“Oh, there have been many who tried and almost all that failed.”

‘Almost? So, some succeeded?’ I scribbled down, curious to know who would even have dared it.

“It has only worked twice,” she told me, and the wince in her shoulders made me continue.

‘But where does it go?’

“More like, where doesn’t it go.” Again, I had frowned at this, making her elaborate without me asking her to this time.

“The answer is everywhere and anywhere, all you would need to do is think of any place in any time and it will take you there.” My eyes had widened in shock at this point, making me feel as if I had been suddenly plunged into some H.G. Wells novel.

‘You mean like the past?’

“Past, present or even the future, there are no limits other than the justification of thought and reasoning,” she answered, making me suck silent air between my teeth at the time, knowing this was one warning I was going to take deadly serious.

‘And those that achieved it? Who could ever survive such a thing if not using it for selfish reasons?’

“Well, like I said, it has only successfully been used twice,” she answered, and this time with the self-conscious rub of the back of her neck, I knew the answer to my last question was going to be the most shocking yet.

‘Who were they, Fae?’ She swallowed hard and told me in a wary tone,

“My mother was first and after that… well…” she took a deep breath and dropped the biggest bombshell yet…

“It was me.”

8

AWKWARD FAMILY CONNECTIONS

But of course, the moment I heard Amelia confess this, I had wanted to know everything, but was cut short when she held up a hand and said,

“Please don’t ask.”

After that, I knew I wouldn’t get much more. Besides, it was hardly the time for it, especially considering I hadn’t exactly had the voice for it. And as for now, well, I knew that I needed to focus on far more important advice, so I started to play back all of Amelia’s guidance in my head.

After giving the fountain a wide birth, I took off in the right direction, taking one of the eight routes she had told me to. I continued down this long, seemingly endless trail, still finding myself in utter awe and in all honesty, disbelief that I was actually here. It was as though I was expecting someone to appear to me at any moment, shouting at me and demanding for me to explain what I was doing here. This before casting me out the way I came and back into my captor’s arms.

Which made me wonder if Jared was even still out there, or had he simply jumped back on his bike and was now making his next set of plans? Fuck, but I just hoped he wasn’t reckless enough to actually travel to Evergreen Falls. That he wasn’t crazy enough to face my uncle. Because honestly, I didn’t know what he was hoping to achieve by doing that.

But then, when it came to Jared, I think it was obvious I was the last to know any of his reasons why he did things. So, with this in mind, I hurried along and tried to ignore all those doors, looking out for the only one I knew had the chance at leading me home.

Which was when I finally saw the bookcase Amelia had told me about. I started to run towards it, spurred on by the thought of being so close to making it. Then, as soon as I was faced with the antique looking bookcase, I scanned the shelves, looking for the spine I knew was my auntie’s favorite book. It was one my mother had often teased her about, just as she had teased her back for my mother’s love of magazines. It was one Amelia had also told me to find, so the second I spotted it, I held my breath and told myself,

“Well, here goes everything.” And it was true, as there was no going back now. For starters, I wasn’t even sure I would even make it out of this place again, having no idea how to open that door again. So, with this worry in mind, it wasn’t surprising that the moment I tried to remove it, I heard a click and I sighed in relief. Especially when the shelf gave way and started to open like a hidden door, one that was being revealed the further I pulled it open. Then I stepped inside and gasped at the sight that met me.

For starters, I had to enter the room by first walking inside a colossal fireplace that I was just thankful wasn’t burning up a blaze at the time. But then again, I tried to calculate in my head the time zone difference I was now stepping into. Would it be early in the morning still, whereas I had left behind the afternoon?

“A library?” I questioned aloud, but then the moment I heard footsteps beyond the huge ornate doors opposite, I don’t know why, but I freaked out. Which was why I quickly dropped down and hid behind a fancy antique sofa, holding a shaky hand to my pounding heart. It was easy to say that I hadn’t exactly spent much time inside Afterlife and let’s just add that after that night at Jared’s club, I finally understood why.

I peeked to the side just quickly enough to find my aunty dressed in a luxurious silk dressing gown the colour of peacock blue with black lace trim. I released a relieved sigh and was just about to pop up and say hello, despite knowing this would no doubt scare the shit out of her in the process. But really, I didn’t know how it could be helped at this point.

However, seconds before I was about to do this random and no doubt freaky appearance, the door opened again and was slammed shut, making me jump.

“Oh great, it’s so good to know you can still take a hint… not,” my aunty said sarcastically, making who I assumed was my uncle, growl in return. This was confirmed when his stern voice said,

“Hint or not, you should know by now that I will not sleep in our bed without my wife in it!” It was at this point that I mouthed a silent,

‘Oh fuck’

Because it was clear my timing couldn’t have been worse, as no one needed a family member just popping up out of bum fuck nowhere while they were having a domestic!

“Then don’t act like a jealous ape and then presto, wife in bed, done deal, Draven,” she said, making me smirk as my aunty most definitely had a way with words.

“He was practically all over you!” my uncle shouted in outrage.

“Jesus Christ, it’s thirty years ago all over again,” my aunty muttered to herself, making him growl again. An angry, dangerous sound that she definitely didn’t seem to be taking seriously.

“I wish it were, for I would currently be poisoning him all over again!” he snapped, making my mouth drop open in shock… My uncle once tried to poison someone?

“Ah yes, and what a delightful memory that was for me, thinking my crazed, new boyfriend had just killed my sister’s brother-in-law… nice to know you learned personal growth, honey,” she said ironically and oh my God, they were talking about my uncle Justin!

“He is still breathing, Vixen, so I would call that more than just personal growth,” my uncle forced out through what sounded like gritted teeth.

“Don’t you Vixen me! You didn’t need to fake some business shit just so we could leave early!” she snapped in return.

“Why, did you wish dessert to come with a side of maiming and disfigurement?” he asked dryly in return, making her groan in what was definitely a disbelieving tone.

“Seriously!”

“Deadly,” he replied in a stern and unbreakable way that you would have been a fool to believe he meant otherwise.

“God, Draven, he only hugged me, for God’s sake!”

“For six fucking seconds! Who the fuck dares do that to my wife!?” my uncle bellowed, shocking me. As yes, it was true that to most people he was an intimidating man, with both his size and his powerful presence. But to me, he had always been so calm, so collected and when I was younger, full of fun. However, right now, well I was seeing an entirely different side to him. Although, taking a peek around the chair and he wasn’t the only one I was seeing a different side to. Especially when my much smaller aunt squared right up to him, pointing a finger up at his face and without a shred of fear told him,

“Don’t fucking swear at me, you insane Demon ass!”

After she shouted this back, I had to try hard not to laugh at the sound of her high-pitched outraged reply.

“You are right, woman, I am insane, for you unquestionably make me this way!” he threw back at her with heated eyes, telling me the Demon in him was most likely feeding from this feisty side of her… and well, it was quite obvious even to me hiding here that it was something he enjoyed.

“Oh my God, you’re actually blaming me for this?!” she guessed incredulously.

“Yes, because if you weren’t so Gods be damned irresistible, funny, beautiful, cute, kind and so unbelievably fuckable, then my obsession with you would not be to the point that you… make me fucking insane!” he replied, now walking her backwards and into the shelving of books where she had no other place to go. This meant that these last four words were growled down at her, with his head lowering further as his hands trapped her in the cage of his body. Of course, this must have been a regular occurrence for my aunt as she didn’t look at all intimidated. This despite the impressive amount of muscle my uncle had on show, seeing as he was only wearing loungewear trousers in a dark grey tone.

“Oh, no you don’t!” she snapped, making him grin this time.

“What?” he asked in feigned reply as she slipped from under his outstretched arm held level with her head.

“You don’t get to do that, I am pissed at you so stop right there… no, Draven, stop coming closer…” She added this when he once again started to stalk her across the room, where she was backing away to.

“Why should I do that when you are not where I want you to be?” he asked, now using what even I knew was a seductive smouldering voice, as it was clear his mood had suddenly done a 360º turn for the hornier.

“Because… erm… you know why,” she said, trying once again to hold on to her anger.

“Why, Vixen?” my uncle practically purred, making my eyes widen before I started mouthing,

‘Oh God no!’

“Draven, I mean it, I am angry, and you need to stop trying to back me up against a wall,” she said in a way that I suspected we both knew was in vain.

“But it works so well in getting what I want,” he hummed, making me take another glance to find he had indeed backed her into yet another shelf. Only this time, one hand was gripped firmly at her hip and the other was held above her head, obviously determined not to let go of his prey a second time.

“Yes, well, you get what you want too often,” she argued, making him grin before replying,

“With you in my life, then you’re damn right I fucking do!” he growled and this time, it wasn’t in anger.

“I am angry at you, so stop smirking!” she snapped, making him outright chuckle this time.

“Then let’s see if we can change that, shall we?”

“I swear if you kiss me, I will bite you.” I even rolled my eyes at this, knowing that was hardly going to put a man like my uncle off, and with his rumbled reply, he proved my point.

“Ah, but Sweetheart, that’s not a threat… it is a promise, and one I will be sure to hold you to,” he hummed, and after a breathy sounding,

“Draven…” his name ended quickly, soon to be replaced by the sound of them kissing. An act that seemed to echo around the large room, making my mouth drop open and seriously, I didn’t know what to do.

“Oh, damn you, husband of mine with your talented mouth!” my aunty complained, again doing so in a breathless way.

“That’s not what you said yesterday, in fact, before we left for dinner at your sister’s house, I believe you were blessing the Gods for such a mouth,” my uncle replied with what I knew was a smirk, despite purposely not looking anymore.

“Seriously, do you forget anything?” she complained, making him respond with the perfect reply,

“Only the times we fight but never the times we make up.”

“Okay, so now I am damning that elephant status memory of yours, along with your mouth,” my aunty said, with no argument left in her tone but now one filled with teasing.

“Well, in that case, I believe I have some re-educating to do, for I will accept such a task with the utter most seriousness,” he teased back making her snap,

“Your task?” This was when he whispered loud enough for me to hear,

“To remind you how sweetly you can bless the Gods once more.” At this she sighed as he started kissing her again, and it amplified around the grand space, making it impossible to get away from.

“Fine, take me to bed then.”

Oh, thank God, I thought, somewhat prematurely. I knew this when he replied,

“And why would I do that, when I can remind you right here.”

“What if someone comes in?” she reasoned in a slightly panicked tone.

“I’ve sealed the door… my little librarian.”

Not all of them, I thought with a wince, now ringing my top in my fisted hands, wishing I could get away from this awkward encounter.

“I remember the day I told you about my new job, I thought you were going to choke,” she teased again, making me wonder briefly what they were talking about.

“And there was I, fearing not for my breath but for the imprint my zipper was making against my cock,” he replied, making my mouth drop open again! Jesus, but they were like a couple of horny teenagers!

“Speaking of cocks, shouldn’t yours already being free and about to claim me by now?” Fuck! This was when I could stand it no longer. I suddenly shot up from my shitty hiding space and with my eyes closed and my hands waving in front of me.

“Nope, I can’t do it anymore! Hello, I’m here, you’re not alone, so please stop trying to get each other naked or I will never be able to look at you both ever again!” I said, after the unavoidable seconds before closing my eyes as they both flashed too much skin, making my aunty gasp. This was while my uncle’s deep voice said my name in shock,

“Ella?” I nodded my head rapidly without opening my eyes, as the last thing any of us wanted in that moment was me adding any extra images to the awkward family memory.

“Yep, it’s me and I swear I can explain.”

“How did you get in here?” he asked in a way that wasn’t angry but was most definitely shocked.

“I can explain that too… just after… erm… you know.” I waved my hand up and down, hoping they had already got the hint and my uncle was no longer trying to get his wife naked as quickly as possible. At least, that had been the first sight to meet me before I wisely closed my eyes.

He cleared his throat and then chuckled when he heard his wife mutter,

“Locked all the doors, my Northern ass.”

“Alright, my niece, you can open your eyes now, it’s safe… Now that your aunt’s modesty is once more restored.”

I did as my uncle suggested, now cautiously opening my eyes and finding my poor red-faced aunty tugging on the belt of her robe as if this would save me from memory of my uncle yanking it open seconds ago.

“Ella, sweetheart, what are you doing here?” Aunty Keira said, looking both pleased to see me and concerned at… well, seeing me.

“It’s a long story but before we start, can anyone follow me through this fireplace?” I asked, looking back the way I had come and making my uncle raise a single brow in question, as my aunt’s eyes widened. Then he folded his big, bare muscular arms across an even bigger chest and after nodding towards the fireplace, asked,

“And just who are we to expect might follow you through our not-so-secret doorway?” This made me gulp before giving them what was most likely the last answer they ever expected to hear…

“A Furious HellBeast King.”

STONE BARRIERS

JARED

“FUCK!”

I roared this while hammering a fist against the stone that kept me from reaching her, feeling the supernatural power crack my knuckles upon the impact. Because had this just been any old stone wall, I would have currently been stepping over its crumbled remains seconds before reaching in there and claiming my girl.

Which was why I wasted no more time on what I knew was the impenetrable force of the Janus Temple. I stormed back along the path that started to sink back into the water with every step I took, ignoring the fountain that soaked my clothes to my skin. Then I made my way back to where I had dumped my bike in my haste to try and beat her to the escape route she had planned, still gritting my teeth as I cursed her.

“What now?” my brother asked me, as he was now with all my men sat upon their bikes waiting for my next order.

Naturally, I had ordered them to follow me in my pursuit the moment I knew where she was heading. Fuck, but I had been so fucking close! Unsurprisingly, I was fucking furious and having her last words now playing over and over in my mind was not fucking helping!

What the fuck had she meant when she said that she would fix this? There was no fixing this, she was mine! Now it was time to make her see this as being fact… no, make that, fucking law! Because she obviously thought I was forced to claim her out some fucked up duty. And yes, that might have been true to begin with, but now… well, she had no idea what I knew… what I felt deep down into the very core of me. Something, I was about to fucking change, starting with lifting my Harley Fatboy back onto its two wheels before answering Orthrus,

“Now we get our asses on a fucking plane…” I said before starting my engine and finding comfort in the roar of pipes and the rumble of its iconic V-Twin. Then, with what I knew was heated eyes of my beast bursting through, I finished my sentence, telling him,

“…After all, I’ve got a Chosen One to hunt.” Then I spun my back wheel round so I was facing the way out and gunned it from the pained sight of that fucking fountain. Doing so now with gritted teeth as I tried not to think about all the fucking things that could go wrong.

I knew too fucking well what was down in that Temple, hoping like shit she stayed well away from it. After I had been barking my demands back at the club, Amelia had assured me that she had explained enough about the place to her. But more importantly, to stay as far away from that fucking fountain situated at its core.

The Heart of the Temple’s power.

Gods, but I couldn’t even think about what I would do if I lost her, as the dangers were too great! For one there were still fuckers out there after her, and I was beyond pissed at her for not taking that into consideration when making the reckless decision to run.

What had she been thinking!

Well, at least my anger was doing something, for I should have been freezing my ass making this journey soaking wet. But as it stood, I felt my beast burning under my skin, heating my body quickly. I also ignored the shocked look of disbelief from one of the staff members that manned some little booth, after seeing us tearing along the gravel for a second time. I looked in my mirror, knowing the second I didn’t see my brother directly behind me like I usually did, that he had hung back to make all the needed preparations.

But then, that was the beauty of brothers that were as close as we were. You didn’t often need to say much in order for them to know what was needed. And right now, I needed to get my ass to the nearest airport and on a fucking plane out of here! Something that Orthrus would be trying to make happen. Which was why I wasn’t surprised when I heard his voice in my head, after leaving my mind open for him to do so.

“Head to Birmingham. We have a jet being fuelled as we speak.”

“Gottcha, brother,” I replied, taking the direction needed to get me on the M5 heading North. Thankfully, I knew it was less than thirty miles away so tearing up the road like we were, we would be there in under forty minutes, as that was the beauty of a bike… I could fuck off damn UK traffic!

Admittedly, I couldn’t imagine ever riding this recklessly with a certain redhead on the back of my bike. Though I could imagine her clutching on to me, exactly where she should be. In fact, this thought was the only way I kept it all together. The whole way there, just the image of her in my mind on the back of my bike calmed my Beast. But then, if I were honest with myself, this hadn’t been the first time such a fantasy had entered my thoughts. No, it was just the first time that I had felt free to entertain it as more than only a dream, now being in a position to be able to make it an absolute.

Of course, for that to happen, I first needed to get her back, something that turning towards the chartered flight entrance got me a step closer to achieving.

“Who do we have closest to Evergreen Falls?” I asked Orthrus the second my bike was parked in the hanger. My brother would no doubt have the bikes arranged to be picked up when we were in the air. Needless to say, he too had ridden like a mad man to catch us up in time.

“Gunnar is still based in Brunswick.”

“Good, then get him there to do some recon, as I want to know everything by the time this plane hits Portland,” I ordered as I stormed my way over to the private jet ready and waiting to go. Once inside, I waved off the stewardess, and one look at my foul mood was all that was needed to know the only thing I wanted from this flight, was its destination.

Orthrus offered her one of his trademark winks and grins, that admittedly was usually all it took to get them falling in love with his forbidden, black ass. After this, he was followed by each of my men, with the exception of Marcus, who was in charge at Devil’s when I wasn’t there. Smidge also stayed behind, but like she said, this was usually to keep Marcus from fucking anything up as she certainly kept an eye on things. Which meant that once Chase and Otto were in, followed by Satish, Czar and Icarius, the doors finally closed.

Naturally, my men gave me a wide berth, opting to sit at the back of the plane, while my brother was the only one brave enough to sit opposite me.

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but do you actually have a plan here…? Oh, and please let it be something more than just a snatch and grab kidnapping.” He added this last part after holding up a hand and stopping me from answering the first time.

“As tempting as that approach is, I was at the very least going to start with a conversation first.”

“First?” he questioned, making me shrug my shoulders before telling him,

“I am not returning without her, so what do you think, Orth?” Unsurprisingly, he frowned at this before throwing the first spanner in the Supernatural works for me.

“And the King of Kings?”

“Is just another King in my way should he feel inclined to stop me.” At this my brother’s eyes widened before he scoffed,

“Fucking HellBeast, gotta give it to you, big brother… fucking big balls.”

“Oh good, ‘cause that’s the word on the street I was going for, to be known for the size of my testicles,” I replied sarcastically.

“Well, it’s better that than news that our HellBeast King just got his bollocks ripped out.”

“The King can’t touch me, you know that,” I reminded him dryly.

“Yeah, but it’s if he knows that, which concerns me… she’s his niece after all. You remember the kid we once saw swinging from his arm like he was some kind of living monkey bar?” Orth reminded me of a time I barely remembered and some wild kid with a mess of red curls that never sat still even for a second.

“As cute as she was, not really a time I want to remember, seeing as meeting your Chosen as a kid is beyond fucked up, even for a Demon,” I reminded him, making him laugh.

“Yeah, I get that, but you’ve got to admit, kinda makes sense now seeing as she was always pretending to be a wolf,” he said chuckling, making me growl. Damn it, I had forgotten that shit too.

“Then fate is fate and was so even back then… this is all the King needs to know and accept, as not even he is foolish enough to go against the very same Fates that gifted him his own Chosen,” I said, looking out the window as we finally started down the runway, picking up the speed we needed.

“You so sure of that?” he challenged.

“His only daughter is claimed by a Vampire King that used to be his greatest enemy, trust me, the old bastard has far bigger problems on his hands.” Orthrus looked like he wanted to argue this, but in the end, simply muttered under his breath,

“Maybe.” I released a sigh before cutting off his doubts for good.

“But none of this matters, for I hold the winning hand should he think to challenge my claim.”

“And that is?” he asked with a raised brow, and I briefly looked out the window as if seeing the past playing there and back to the deal we made that day. Then I looked back to my brother and told him,

“I hold his Queen of Hearts.” At this Orthrus smirked.

“Ah, but of course, a life debt the Fates told you to ask for should the Chosen Electus come running asking for your help… I remember… pretty sure she still owes me a pair of shades after that night.”

“Yeah well, she owes me something far more valuable and it may have taken nearly thirty years, but I am now here to collect and this time…”

“She will be paying with blood after all.”

10

CHOICES

ELLA

Okay, so why I thought this next part would be the easy bit is beyond me. As here I was, sitting opposite my aunty and uncle, who thankfully had excused themselves to change so we weren’t all having this conversation with them both half naked. We were now in the dining room and were having this conversation over breakfast like semi normal people. Well, if normal came in the form of a grand manor house that was home to a supernatural King and a Queen who was said to have, at one time, saved the world.

Naturally, I nearly lunged for the coffee, sipping it down like the caffeine addict I was.

“Wow, and I thought I loved tea,” my aunty Keira muttered over the rim of her own mug. My uncle smirked down at her but didn’t comment.

“I know there is a lot for us to discuss here, but first I must know, did Jared hurt you?” my uncle asked, making me start choking on my coffee before spluttering out,

“No! God no, or is it Gods, I never know whether I am going to offend with that one,” I mused, making them quickly look to one another. I released a deep sigh and then came right out and said it.

“Okay, so I think with my outburst back in the library, you guys must have guessed by now that I know a lot more about your world than you ever intended for me to know.” At this my aunty made a destressed sound before putting her cup down and looking as if she was about to get upset.

“Oh honey, how long have you known…? Who told you…? How did you find out…? Okay wait, that’s the same question… Shit, Draven, I knew this would happen one day!” Keira said before covering her face with her hands. I could see the guilt overwhelm her, making my uncle wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her close.

“Please, Aunty Kaz, don’t upset yourself. I totally get why you kept this secret… trust me, having experienced your world, I understand it more than most would,” I told her, reaching across the corner of the table and taking her hand in mine.

“How long have you known, Ella?” my uncle asked, making me sigh once more before telling him the truth.

“That night all those years ago when Amelia went missing in London and got in trouble for sneaking into the Devil’s Ring…”

“Oh God!” Keira gasped again, while my uncle frowned, now looking deep in thought.

“Okay, so I know this is a lot,” I said, feeling bad for them both.

“Good Gods, child, you have known all this time and never said a word?” he asked, making me wince.

“I wanted to tell you, but at the time I didn’t want Amelia to get into any more trouble than she was already.”

“I understand your loyalty to your cousin, Ella, but there have been quite a few years since then that we considered Amelia an adult, and therefore telling her off now would most certainly be lacking in its effect… trust me on that.” He muttered this last part as if he had recently had the displeasure of this discovery.

“I know and really, I have no excuse other than time passed and I moved on with my life… besides, I figured you guys kept it a secret from our side of the family for a reason and I chose to respect that.” At this my uncle bowed his head a little and told me,

“I understand and just so you know, your respect means a lot to me and your aunt, along with that of my people.”

“It does, totally what he said,” my aunt added, making me grin as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder at him, making him smirk down at her again… Jeez, even after all these years he still had it bad for her. Talk about besotted.

“Of course, I also understand that it means time has come full circle if you are here now and speaking of Jared Cerberus,” my uncle commented, and I tensed at this, now looking down at my coffee cup and suddenly wishing it held something stronger.

“So, I will ask you again… Did he hurt you, Ella?” my uncle asked, this time in a darker tone, one that spoke of death if Jared had committed this offence against his family.

“He wouldn’t dare! You know that, Draven, he has known who Ella is since she was a child,” my aunt said, defending him, making me think back to the vision I had seen where my aunt had once witnessed what happened to Jared all those years ago. Which meant only one thing… they clearly had history.

“He has?” I asked, shocked and now focusing on the point at hand. Keira smiled at me in one of those warm ways she always did before nodding her head.

“Although brief, yeah, he has known of you and no doubt remembers you crawling around the floor on all fours pretending to be a beast at our wedding… oh.” My aunt stopped when she saw my face drop, and the embarrassment that followed made it clear why this wasn’t exactly a memory I wanted the man I had stupidly fallen in love with to have of me. But with that one look alone… she got it. Which meant I was saved from needing to give her a pleading look for her not to tell my uncle.

“Ella, your answer?” my uncle pressed again, thankfully not seeing what my aunt had.

“Aunty Kaz is right, Jared has never hurt me,” I told him, purposely ignoring the time he thought I was the imposter and had almost strangled me to death… ‘cause yeah, that hurt, but he hadn’t been to blame, not really.

“Then who else do I need to bring to justice for the offence of hurting my niece?” my uncle asked, nodding down to the cast on my arm, one that I needed to remove since I could tell it had healed already thanks to Jared’s blood.

“I think you will find Jared did that already.”

“He did?” Keira asked as her husband’s eyes widened.

“And why would he do that exactly?” Draven asked the most difficult question yet.

“Well… he’s… erm, kind of been protecting me these last few weeks,” I answered awkwardly, this time making my aunt’s eyes widen in surprise, whereas my uncle just frowned again.

“I think there is a lot left for you to explain yet, as we seem to be hearing this from the middle,” he commented, making me sigh before agreeing.

“You’re right. To understand it all, I need to go back to the beginning and well, I am worried you will be angry.”

“Why would we ever be angry at you?” my aunt asked, making me wince.

“Not at me, but more angry at Jared, and well… Amelia,” I admitted, tensing as I said it and feeling bad as I couldn’t help but feel as if I was throwing her under the bus.

“Why does it feel lately that I am the last person to know anything where my family is concerned?” my uncle complained in a dry tone, making my aunt shrug her shoulders before turning to me and telling me softly,

“Go ahead, honey, and take your time.”

So, I did and well, it was time that I knew wasn’t really on my side.

Not with a HellBeast King on the hunt.

* * *

“So, come on, you can tell me what’s really going on,” my aunt said after only about a minute of driving, as after I had told them everything that had happened (well almost everything), my aunt had asked me what I wanted to do next. I had told her I would like to go home and see my parents, making her quickly grin. She had then insisted on driving me home, after my uncle had removed my cast for me, confirming for himself that my arm was now no longer broken.

He had also assured me that he would have a few guards assigned to me, just to be sure as he didn’t trust my assumption that the threat was over. To be honest, I had no clue if it was, I just knew that I wanted it to be so I could go home and start trying to live my life once more.

In truth, since I had left Jared’s domain, I missed my old life more and more, now away from that foolish bubble locked there by the love I felt for him. But now I knew the truth. That bubble had been popped and I felt my eyes opened once more to the real world.

As for the potential threat, well I also wasn’t sure how I felt about having my own personal security hanging around. But my uncle assured me they would be discreet and just watch the house from afar, there as a precaution.

“What do you mean?” I replied to my aunt, causing her to grant me one of her trademark, ‘do I look like an idiot to you’ looks.

“Your uncle may have bought it, but you’re talking to the original William’s human here. Trust me, I have walked in your shoes before, so I know from experience there is more going on here.” I sighed and lifted up my arms before slapping them on my knees.

“So, you know I told you both how he saved me on the stage by giving me his blood and therefore sort of half claiming me by mistake,” I said again, because I knew as painful as this part was to tell, it was something my uncle had needed to know if I had any hope of breaking the claim. Something he was currently looking into after I had made it clear that I didn’t want his selfless act rewarded with punishment. My uncle had at least eased my fears by telling me he wouldn’t have been able to kill another Fated King even if he had wanted to.

“Yeah, I also remember the look I gave you, so come on, out with it, Carrie Ella,” she said, speaking my full name as she took the main road home and had I not known my aunt as long as I did, I would have said she was driving slowly for this very reason. However, she always drove like some old lady that thought by going ten miles under the speed limit was the norm.

As for my reply, well it started with propping my head on my hand as I looked out the window at a view I had known all my life. Then I released a deep and painful sigh before telling her,

“Let’s just say that finding out he loves another before he was then forced to claim me, wasn’t the ending I was hoping for.”

“Ah… I see,” she said after a whoosh of air left her lips.

“And this ending you were hoping for?” she asked, making me tense before pointing out the obvious.

“What does it matter now? What’s done is done.”

“It matters, Ella,” she stated, making me swallow hard.

“Why?”

“Because I have a feeling your uncle and I are soon to expect an angry HellBeast King knocking on our door and well, I would like to be ready for that when it happens.” I shrugged my shoulders at that and told her,

“Well, I don’t know what he thinks to achieve by doing that.”

“In my experience, a King’s Claim is not something they are likely to give up on so easily,” she informed me and again, I had a feeling she was speaking from experience.

“What, even if it’s the wrong claim, because tell me, Aunt, how often does that happen?”

“About as often as misunderstandings and miscommunication happens between those that are Fated,” she replied, making me tense.

“That’s not one of these times,” I said, looking out of the window and seeing the faint reflection of a girl close to tears.

“So sure of that, are you?” she pressed, making me grant her a wry look.

“About as sure as I am about hearing him tell his brother that I am not his fated… so yeah, quite sure.” At this Keira looked at me with shock before her features turned thoughtful.

“So he didn’t know,” she mused to herself.

“Didn’t know what?”

“What was staring him in the face these last few weeks,” she said as if she was as certain as if she had been there to witness it all. Which was why I pointed out,

“Now who is the one who seems quite sure of all this?”

“Lived it, honey, more times than I care to remember. Besides, the first time I met Jared, he scared the shit out of me and wasn’t exactly known for tolerance of humans, especially those stupid enough to infiltrate his world like I did… or should I now say, we did.”

“And again, your point is?”

“He just claimed one rather than choose to let you die. Trust me, for Jared Cerberus, that tells me all I need to know,” she replied as if she knew him as well as one of his council did.

“Which is?” I asked, taking the bait, like she knew I would. Which was why she looked at me, and in a serious tone told me,

“He will be here before you know it.” I released a sigh and felt forced to admit,

“He tried to stop me from entering the Temple, but didn’t get there in time.” Keira laughed once without humour, hit a hand to the steering wheel and said,

“And there you go, even more proof. Bloody Hell, but your uncle is going to go grey for real this time.”

“Erm, you mean he isn’t really grey?” I asked, confused as he just looked like a handsome older guy in his fifties to me.

“Ah, well, about that… erm… we haven’t actually aged since you were a baby and what you see isn’t exactly what our kind sees,” she said sheepishly.

“You’re joking?!”

“Well, I think your mother would wonder why her sister still looks like she’s in her twenties and hasn’t aged a day since the day you were born, don’t you?” At this my eyes widened in shock, despite Amelia mentioning something like this before. Only, in all honesty, it was so long ago and back to a time when I already had so much to process, I think I only took in half of what she told me. Although admittedly, back then my mind had focused solely on the roots of obsession Jared himself had planted the moment we first met on that stage.

“Do you think you will ever tell her?” I asked, looking now towards the childhood home I loved and treasured as it came into view after she turned into our drive. A sight that hit me in the chest like a comforting hug. But as for my aunt, she released a pained sigh and told me with sadness in her tone,

“There is not a day that goes by that I don’t wish I had the freedom to do that, Ella, but I made a choice long ago.”

“Which was?”

“To love a King whose world is forbidden to mortals for a reason…” She paused as the front door opened and my parents appeared on the threshold, just as Keira asked me the most important question of all. One that no matter how much I denied it, its purpose still stayed with me long after.

“Question is…”

“Will you do the same, Ella?”

11

IDIOTS

“Mom, Dad!” I shouted as I flung the door open once my aunt had stopped the car. Then I was out and running towards them, throwing my arms first around my mom before my dad embraced us both.

“Oh, my Elle Bell! My little girl, oh it’s been too long!” my mom cried, gripping me tight as I soaked in the comfort like no other. Hence why tears were soon rolling down my cheeks, making her pull back and wipe them away, telling me,

“Hey, now what’s this? Only I am allowed to cry!” She laughed, making me smile and push through my heartache, masking it before they thought something was really wrong.

“Just happy to see you both!” Then I turned to my dad and threw myself in his big arms next, feeling that same comfort as he chuckled,

“My wild child is home at last.” I laughed at this.

“Kazzy, did you know she was coming?” I heard my mom ask her sister.

“Nope, she surprised us all.”

“But how?” my dad asked next.

“I called to ask if they would pick me up from the airport so I could surprise you both,” I told them quickly.

“Well, you certainly did that, sweetheart, but where are your bags, still in the car?” my dad asked as he started off towards my aunt’s expensive truck, one I suspected was armoured and bomb proof, knowing my uncle.

“Oh, I…” I paused, unable to come up with a lie quick enough and just thankful that my aunt was at the ready with one.

“Ah, that’s my fault, as I wanted to bring her, so we swapped over cars and I must have forgotten her bags in the other one. No worries, I will have them dropped off later for you, Ella.”

“Thanks, Aunty Kaz.” I said, thanking her for much more than words could say in this moment. But then I also couldn’t help but wonder what bags these would be… I had pretty much left with nothing but the clothes on my back and what I had left of Jared’s stolen money in my pocket.

I turned back to my mom and said light-heartedly,

“I was in such a rush to get here, I didn’t even think about my luggage.” At this she gave me a warm look before hugging me to her again, making me feel slightly guilty for the lie.

“Well, I am just glad my sweet girl is finally home,” my mom said before my dad joined in.

“Yeah, it’s been too long, kid.” I grinned back at him and agreed.

“That it has, Dad, that it has.” Then I let them lead me into my family home, feeling a sense of ease that ended the moment a dreaded thought hit me…

What if Jared did come for me?

* * *

“So, Duke is fine?” I asked Rex for the third time, making him chuckle.

“Like I told you the last time you called, your lazy mutt is fine and sitting here licking his balls in case you wanted a mental picture.” I laughed at this, telling him,

“Jeez, thanks, Rex. I mean, I love the dog, but that’s taking it too far.”

He scoffed at this before we continued to make idle chit chat, as he had been over to my trailer, checking on it once a week. He also mentioned once again how weird he thought it was that Orson had also disappeared around the same time, just like he did every time we spoke. But then again, Rex was far from stupid, and he didn’t believe in coincidences, so combining these two together meant Rex had his own ideas on what had happened. This also meant I could tell he didn’t believe me when I denied the two factors being connected.

Hence why after that, I skirted around the issue and told him that I was hoping to be back soon. I obviously hadn’t gone into detail about my sudden absence, but I had mentioned it being a family emergency that had brought me to my hometown.

After this I had made one more phone call, this time to my boss, who thankfully was the only one who knew of my medical issues. Therefore, he was understanding when I gave this as being my excuse for my extended leave of absence. In all honesty, I had really hoped I would have been in a position by now to at least give him some indication of when I would be back, if at all. However, with the potential threat still out there, and the even greater potential threat of a HellBeast King turning up to cause trouble, well… then I knew trying to give him any date of my return was impractical at this time.

Which was why I released a deep and regretful sigh the moment I put down the phone, wondering when, if at all, I would ever get my life back on track.

“That looks like a heavy mind there, kiddo,” my dad said, making me sigh again.

“Yeah, you can say that again.”

“Well, lucky for you, I know the best way to clear that curly head of yours, so come on and help your old man,” he said, throwing me a navy blue, oil-stained bundle. I caught it and chuckled, telling him,

“Missed my nimble, skinny fingers, eh?” He laughed and, with a nod, said,

“That depends.”

“On what?” I asked with a grin, knowing with my dad it would be nothing serious and I was right.

“Two things… if you have still got the mad mechanic skills your old man taught you.” I chuckled before asking,

“And the second?”

“Whether you bring two beers with you.” Then he winked at me before heading out of the house, leaving me to chuckle some more.

“Well, that didn’t take long, what has it been, two hours since Aunty Kazzy dropped you off?” my mom asked, walking out of the kitchen with a cup of tea in her hands.

“I think he’s just happy to have his skinny fingers back,” I said, reminding her of his mechanic nickname for me and making her laugh the once, before telling me,

“I think he’s just excited to have his little girl home and is happy for the excuse to get you in the garage again… he’s had the new exhaust for that thing for weeks now.” I chuckled at this, winked and told her,

“Don’t worry, I’m already planning a girls’ shopping trip.” After this I ran upstairs to my room, leaving my mom grinning and no doubt already planning a trip to the mall tomorrow by texting her sister. I had to say, it felt good to be home and thankfully, it was keeping my mind from the heartbreak.

However, I knew that as the morning gave way to the afternoon, time wouldn’t be on my side, not when my first night without Jared loomed ahead. Because I knew as soon as it went dark and I had said goodnight to my parents, then reality would really hit me.

What I had lost would really hit me.

As for now, I quickly shook these depressing thoughts from my mind, saving me the pain of them for just that little bit longer, instead changing into my coveralls. I also added a white cropped top underneath so I wasn’t completely naked under them. Then I popped the buttons up, leaving two open at my neck and stuffing my feet into my steel toe-cap work boots that had seen better days. But hey, I loved them as they showcased years of working with my dad on numerous projects. Oh, but the hours in that garage partaking in what I classed as a labour of love was filled with my favourite memories… my precious truck included.

Jeez, but I was even excited about it!

Which was why I grabbed two beers out of the fridge, as I usually did since hitting the age of twenty one, (eighteen if my mom wasn’t around). Then I made my way to the side of the house where my dad’s garage and workshop was. I couldn’t help but smile at the usual sights, sounds, and smells that assaulted me. The smell of motor oil and metal. The sounds of classic rock music coming from the old radio, and the sight of spare parts littering the area and the kick ass amazing view of the national park in the distance.

Oh yeah, I was home.

“Jeez, Dad, you still working on this old thing?” I asked, referring to the lifted 1972 chevvy C10. That was a 350 V8 in a classic dark blue metallic colour.

“Well, what do expect without my nimble, skinny fingers here to aid me? I don’t see me getting your mom in coveralls anytime soon helping me change this exhaust.” I laughed in agreement, as let’s just say that when it came to the dirty work, I took after my dad that way.

“Right, well in that case, I know where I am wanted,” I said, putting down our beers, sliding the socket set closer to the jacked-up truck with my foot before laying down on the wheeled board, known as a Creeper, and sliding myself under.

“That’s my girl!” my dad said with a laugh before I could hear him swigging back his beer.

“I managed to remove most of it, just need to get out the old headers and put the new ones in,” he told me after I complained I was waiting, tapping my foot on the garage floor. After this I waited more patiently for him to unbolt the headers from the cylinders one at a time before lowering them down. I took time pulling them through the engine compartment before tossing them aside. After this he passed me the new ones so I could use my nimble fingers to lift them up through the bottom, so my dad could bolt on the new ones. After this he passed me the centre pipe, so I could fit it and clamp it before moving on to the last job, which was fitting the back box with my trusty socket and rachet.

Once it was job done and after a few hours had passed, I was substantially covered in oil. I wheeled myself out and took my dad’s hand before taking the beer he held out to me. These were fresh ones, thanks to my mom this time.

“Good job, kiddo,” he praised, and like always, I hadn’t the heart to remind him that I hadn’t been a ‘kiddo’ for a long time. Yet despite this, the term warmed my heart… just like always. However, as we clinked bottles and we each leaned back against the battered work bench, swigging back our beer, I knew something was obviously on my dad’s mind. This was confirmed when about thirty seconds later he came right out and asked me,

“So, come on, out with it, why are you really home?”

“What do you mean, is it so hard to believe a daughter missed her parents.”

“I know you miss us, Ella, that’s never been in question, but I also know my daughter and when she is trying to bullshit her old man, so come on, out with it, Kid.” I released a sigh before admitting,

“Anyone ever tell you you’re too smart for your own good?”

“Yeah, and usually it’s your mother, so come on, talk to me,” he replied, making me release a deep sigh.

“Okay, so don’t freak out, as it’s not a big deal but I kind of got into a bit of trouble back in Canada and a friend helped me out of it.”

“And this trouble you’re speaking of, is it the type where I am to expect a visit from the Sheriff asking about a missing person my daughter might know.” I gave him a wry look before he held his hands up and said,

“I ain’t judging. You know any guy messes with my daughter, and I am there with my gun and a shovel.” I laughed at this and said,

“No shovel needed, besides, like I said, my friend took care of it and don’t worry, it wasn’t with a gun,” I said, because this wasn’t technically a lie and so much easier than trying to explain the truth. Like the Demonic claws he had used.

“And this friend of yours?” he pressed.

I groaned as I dragged a hand along my cheek, ignoring the fact my hand was dirty before stating firmly,

“Don’t want to talk about him.”

“Him?” he pushed for more.

“Dad!” I groaned in a warning tone before he argued,

“What? An old man can sense these things about his daughter.”

“Okay, fine, but can you also sense that there is not enough beer in your fridge to even get me to a point where I want to talk about him, let alone know where to begin,” I said, trying to make my point, one thankfully he got.

“Ah, okay… so that bad, huh?” he asked, making me finally give him something.

“I fell pretty hard, Dad, and let’s just say that in the end, I was not the one he was expecting to catch.”

“Ah, I see… so what you’re saying is, he was an idiot then?”

I sighed and as a way to end this conversation, I told him honestly,

“Truth is…”

“…I think we both were.”

12

WILD CHILD

JARED

The second we landed, I was off the plane, knowing a line of bikes would be there waiting for me and my men. This was thanks to Orth being in charge of shit like this, so I didn’t have to. He also had HellBeasts loyal to us as the eyes and ears on the ground there, ready and waiting to give me the heads up as to what was happening with my girl. And the man that was running this recon show was an Icelandic giant, who towered above us all and whose name literally meant, ‘bold and brave’. He was also one of the happiest HellBeasts I had ever met and his whole body literally shook when he laughed.

However, one look at my face like thunder and it was enough to stop even this big blonde bastard from looking happy.

“So, Cookie flew home after all,” my brother commented after we both listened to Gunnar updating us on the status of my Fated, surprising me with the knowledge she was no longer hiding herself away in Afterlife. Which was good news for me seeing as she had given up this protection, a mistake on her part… and one I was fully prepared to take advantage of. Yet despite this, I still knew to ask,

“And what of the King?”

“He has his men keeping watch,” Gunnar answered, making me frown.

“Well, that’s going to be a problem. I guess that ruins your snatch and grab plan, hey brother?” Orth stated, making me grant him a knowing look before asking confidently,

“Will it?”

“Oh fuck, what are you planning now, J?”

“You don’t want to know,” I told him truthfully, before turning back to Gunnar, who was also known as one of the Enforcers and therefore would be seen quickly by the King. He was also ruler of Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, since these countries had been taken off the hands of an Enforcer named Ward after he met his lost Siren. These Lost Sirens were all claimed nearly thirty years ago, along with Gunnar’s, who I believe had family in Brunswick, hence why the HellBeast was here at all. Although, despite his status as an Enforcer, he was first and foremost loyal to me, seeing as I ruled over all HellBeasts.

“Now go and inform the King I request an audience with him and his queen tonight,” I told him, making him bow his head, which for a ruler in his own right, was the most I expected with regards to respecting another in power. Besides, he wasn’t just of HellBeast blood, as the Demon at his core was what Dominic Draven had been more interested in when awarding him the position of Enforcer.

“And how many should I tell him to expect to be in attendance?” he asked, making me smirk to myself before making my intentions known,

“Two, myself and… my Claimed.” My brother started laughing before slapping me on the back, telling me,

“Fucking brass balls, brother, I have to give it to you.” I grinned as I walked over to one of the Harleys I kept here for times I was needed at Afterlife. It was the same reason I had a big house in Evergreen and more importantly, a secluded cabin about an hour away that no fucker but my brother knew about. Admittedly, one I bought not long after I first met Ella, always secretly questioning why I had felt compelled to do so. Well, now I knew why, I thought dryly.

As for my Harley, this time it was a Road King, with a custom paint job my brother had surprised me with one year on what he classed as my birthday, the day I was reborn into this life. But that was Orth, strangely he fucking loved gifts and made us celebrate any type of shit at Devil’s, even going as far as to paint the whole fucking place green for St Patrick’s day… bastard was about as Irish as I was Japanese.

As for my bike, well naturally it was a favourite of mine for this reason alone, as every fucker knew how much I loved my brother. Speaking of which, I finally responded to his comment about my balls.

“Yeah, that and I’ve got a Chosen One to tame, so she doesn’t want to kick me in them.” After this I fired up the engine and rode off the airfield to the sound of my brother’s booming laughter and the vibrations of pipes roaring beneath me, now with only one thought running through my head,

How quickly I could kidnap the King’s niece?

* * *

As usual I had a plan, I hadn’t got this far as King without keeping up a reputation as a cunning bastard. Of course, the potential spanner in that plan-calculating machine was the human element I couldn’t account for. One that started with her father.

I pulled into what I knew was her family home and cut my engine, taking in the sight of a house that I swear could have graced the front cover of some US country living magazine. That or it was the main location for some cheesy, horror movie. I couldn’t actually decide which held the title more, but knew that when the sun set, which of those I would most likely swing towards. And well, with a HellBeast now seconds away from gracing their doorstep, the second definitely seemed more fitting.

But all horror movie cliches aside, the home was, for the most part, picture perfect. There was a charming light-grey siding that looked as if it had seen quite a few coats of paint over the years. The shutters had been painted a darker shade of grey, with a large white wooden deck that framed the entire front of the house. The place even had a Gods be damned swing chair, and admittedly one I could see myself sitting on one day. Of course, there was also a cold beer in the picture, along with a certain Redheaded Goddess sitting next to me with her feet up and casually positioned in my lap.

Fuck, but I missed my girl!

In fact, since she had up and done a runner, I don’t know how many fucking times I had tortured myself by looking at her pictures stored on my phone. I swear the girl was fucking clueless half the time, having no idea just how many times I had taken her picture without her even knowing. Of course, the ones where she had been asleep I could let her off for but as for the rest, well fuck me, but I never realized I had been that fucking stealthy. Yet I knew the moment she first saw the picture of her I had saved to my home screen, that she hadn’t been faking her reaction… she really didn’t have a fucking clue. No idea just how deep my obsession with her truly was.

Well, that was about to change, I thought, as I turned my sights from the large home with its inviting deck and enchanting little windows dotted around curved walls and arched nooks. No, instead I scanned the surrounding area to see the very reason this spot had obviously been chosen to build a house on, as the view was nothing short of fucking spectacular. But then, admittedly, I did live in a fucking cave in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. So, what this family would no doubt take for granted, for me it was a fucking treat. It also explained a lot about Ella’s upbringing and what had most likely forged the core of her wild nature.

Something that did worry me slightly, considering where I resided and essentially would need to remain. Which meant Ella having little choice but to do the same, seeing as I wasn’t fucking leaving here without her. This also meant that for the foreseeable future, her ass would be firmly sitting either in my lap or in her own throne by my side at Devil’s.

Which was why I almost fucking winced when taking in the picture perfect view with its endless ocean of rolling green mountains, one that was most likely on some fucking postcard somewhere! It also made me think back to her job as a Park Ranger and the fucking incredible views there… Fuck me… she even had a view just outside her bloody trailer!

Gods, but I had no fucking hope if nature and the outdoors was what she would need in her life to be content. Because in truth, my arrogance in believing I was all she would need to be happy would only stretch so far, for I was no fucking fool. I had seen the way she had reacted that day when I took her around London, as I had even teased her that it had only been a few weeks, not a fucking ten-year prison sentence.

Shit, but now all I had on my mind was some ridiculously idyllic quintessential fucking scene plucked right out of some damn period fucking drama! That and questioning where I could quickly buy some English country cottage in the middle of bum fuck nowhere, surrounded by trees and a lake I could watch her swim naked in at the weekends. Okay, so this wasn’t all I had on my mind, as one more glance at the house and I knew kidnapping was most likely first on the agenda and came before dialling for a damn estate agent. Especially if I was ever to make that naked, wet fantasy come true.

Now, as for the supernatural element of my problems, well thankfully I was more than capable of dealing with that. As let’s just say that it didn’t exactly take much on my part to knock out two of the King’s watch dogs tasked with ‘protecting’ Ella from me. The third however, I sent packing with two unconscious bodies in his pickup and with a message for his King. Oh yeah, I sure knew how to piss off fellow Royals, that was for fucking sure!

But right now, Dominic Draven was one man that wasn’t my problem, no…

Frank Connor was.

Hence why I sighed the moment I saw a large man in his sixties walk from around the side of the house wiping his grease covered hands on a rag. He then looked me over with a questioning eye and I knew he was trying to keep the shock off his face as he took in the sight of me. Well, at least he seemed to appreciate the bike, if not its owner, as I could tell I would have a job on my hands trying to get this man on my side.

A man I knew was of course… Ella’s Father.

“Can I help you?” he asked in what I recognized as a wary tone the moment I swung my leg over the bike and stood before him. So, I decided to cut straight to it and declare in a determined tone,

“I am here for Ella.”

“And just what is it that you want with my daughter exactly?” he asked, crossing his large arms over his chest, telling me the guy still worked out despite his age. Something, that in all honestly, was only shown in the thick head of grey hair that looked to be only a few weeks away from annoying the shit out of him by constantly falling in his eyes. This and the few wrinkles that mainly sat at the corners of his dark brown eyes. I wondered if the wrinkles would deepen when amused or happy. Well, it had to be said, the big guy wasn’t fucking laughing now, that was for damn sure… not with me standing on his fucking property and stating that I was there for his daughter.

Oh yeah, Jared, this is going to be fucking easy…

NOT!

Shit, but in truth, I hated that I wasn’t just free to put this human on his ass and storm inside and take what was mine to claim. Because doing so would have been a sure way of getting me hated by the one who I was counting on still feeling something deeper for me. Which was why I told him what I did, hoping that he appreciated the honesty and the way I decided to cut straight through the bullshit.

“I am here to tell her that I fucked up,” I stated.

“Ah, so you are the idiot then,” he replied, making me tense my jaw, taking the verbal hit. Whereas if these words were ever heard by any other, then I would have broken someone’s face for calling me that. But then when it came to my girl, I knew I would have to jump through the hoops her family set out for me. Because she was worth it, therefore this man was worth my time and with it, my patience and more importantly… my explanation.

“Look, I get she is your daughter and I respect you standing here protecting her, for I wouldn’t want it any other way, but you need to know that I am no threat to her,” I said, laying it out man to man.

“No?”

“Absolutely not,” I stated firmly.

“So that must make you the friend who got her out of trouble, is that what you’re telling me?” he asked, making me grit my teeth at the term ‘friend’, knowing she must have used this when describing my part played in this fucked up series of events that led us to this point. One I very much wanted to get away from and back track all the way until my feet were back at Devil’s with Ella firmly in my grasp.

Which was why I shamelessly told him,

“I am much more than a friend, but yeah, I’m the one who got her out of trouble.” He raised a brow at this, as I could tell once again, he appreciated the honesty.

“And this trouble that ended up bringing her home, tell me, son, if it’s not you, then what is it? I know my daughter well enough to know when she is telling only half truths.” I released a frustrated sigh at this and gave him what I could, ignoring the aged irony when hearing him calling me son.

“It’s true, there are some bad people after her, which is why I was protecting her,” I told him, making him narrow his eyes at me, telling me he was as any father should be over his only daughter… fiercely protective.

“And yet she ran from you and now here she is… explain that to me.” I ran an aggravated hand through my hair and pushed down the urge to fucking growl at him.

“Like I said, I fucked up,” I admitted again through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, I am getting that, son, now here’s the part where you hurry your biker ass up and tell me how you fucked up, so I know whether I gotta kick your ass or not,” he said, and I had to say, the old man had balls, I would give him that. ‘Cause here he was, facing what I knew for a fact was an intimidating sight, as having me standing in his driveway, I also knew that I was most likely the last fucking guy he ever wanted to see interested in his daughter.

Like I said, I was no fucking fool.

But then neither was the man standing in between me and my obsession, which meant the guy knew how to handle himself, especially with the weapon at his back. Because we may have been the same in height, but it was clear that I had him topped with bulk and muscle. Plus, he kept calling me ‘son’ like this was some line I couldn’t cross. Like I was some young pup that wouldn’t know how to swing a punch or something.

When in reality, I was hundreds of years older than this dude and had been in more fights than he could even imagine. More battles than I cared to think about and caused more deaths than I wanted to admit.

But of course, he didn’t know any of this and besides, it was like I said, I already knew he had a tyre iron hooked through the belt at his back. One at the ready to use on my HellBeast ass should I say one thing to push him to that violent edge. I had to admit, it just made me like the guy all the more. Now, if he would just kindly get the fuck out of my way so I could claim his daughter, then I would like him a whole lot more and may be inclined to one day buy him a fucking beer.

However, as for now, it was clear my options were pretty limited. As I really didn’t want my next action to be coming back here with my crew, breaking down the door and getting Marcus’ ass across an ocean to take over their minds as I walked out with a screaming Ella over my shoulder. Naturally, this was a plan I wanted to avoid, so with no other choice, I answered his question about how I had fucked up and told him part of a truth.

“I should have told her how I really felt about her before it was too late.” At this he showed a little flicker of surprise before he released a deep sigh. Then he shocked me in return.

“I thought as much.” He took in my astonishment and said, “Believe it or not, but you’re not the first big bastard to stand in front of me admitting his feelings for one of my girls.” As this I felt my entire body go rock solid, now questioning who else had dared to want my Ella and try to claim her before me. But before I could start snarling like some fucked up mortal in need of a room on some psych ward, I replayed his actual words in my head. Then clarity hit and knowing that Ella was an only child and didn’t have a sister, I had no choice but to find myself quickly asking,

“One of your girls?”

“I once had Dominic Draven standing right where you are now telling me he was in love with my sister, and I reckon just by the look of you, that you know who I am talking about.” But of course I did, as every supernatural on the planet knew who the Kings of Kings was and now knew of his Queen. Once a mortal girl from Liverpool who this man obviously considered dear to him enough to class as a sister and not just one by law. But then me and Keira had our own history, which also meant that we were tight. She was funny as fuck, in a quirky, clumsy sort of way and had a heart as big as the island her moral compass was firmly pointed at. In other words, his inclination to claim her as blood, did not surprise me in the slightest.

“Yeah, I know him,” I replied in a wry tone, getting back to the hard ass she was married to.

“Well, now that same guy is Ella’s uncle and if you know him, then you also know he isn’t someone I would ever be suicidal enough to go against, if you see what I am getting at here.” Oh yeah, I knew what he was getting at all right, as the threat was loud and fucking clear. It was also one I knew I faced the moment my plane touched down in his domain. Yet right now, at this very second, I wasn’t facing a Draven. Hence why with all the respect I could muster, I told him,

“No offence, Sir, but he’s not my problem right now.”

“No?” he questioned.

“No… you are,” I stated firmly, making him grin slightly as if he liked my answer.

“Is that so?” he pushed with a fold of his meaty arms and with a cock of my head, I laid it for him.

“You are the only one standing between me and my girl.”

“And tell me this, son, does she know she’s your girl?” he asked, forcing to me to make my point.

“Well, that’s what I have come here to find out, if you give me a chance, that is.”

“And what about you?” I couldn’t help but expel an exasperated sigh at this.

“What about me?” I questioned with a hard frown, wondering where this was going to go this time.

“You here to tell me you love another one of my girls like another man did thirty years ago?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest. So, without even a second of hesitation, I told him,

“I sure am. Now you want to do me a kindness and step aside, so I get to tell her that and let her be the first I say it to?” I asked, now purposely adding that bite of authority to my tone, letting him know that I wasn’t dicking around here.

“And if I don’t?” he tested.

“Then I would really hate to have to ruin the moment by first having to apologize for putting her old man on his ass just so as I could get close enough to tell her I love her.” Now at this he really grinned, and he did it laughing before slapping me on the shoulder and saying,

“Yeah, now I see it.”

“See what?”

“Why my girl likes you, as clearly, you’re a gear head…” he said, nodding to the bike at my back, before then continuing on,

“…So, you already got that going for you, but you got the balls to back up being here, despite the fact I reckon you know I got a tyre iron behind my back and was willing to beat you senseless with it.” I grinned at this and told him,

“Knowing the type of father she has, and speaks so highly of, then yeah, I knew about the tyre iron.” At this he grinned even bigger and told me,

“Then you’d best call me Frank instead of this Sir shit,” he said, holding out a hand for me to shake, and I released a relieved sigh knowing now I had obviously passed the Father’s test. So, I took his hand and said in reply,

“And you’d best call me Jared, instead of all this son shit.” He laughed at that as we shook, marking the end of this tense situation.

“You’d best wait here, and I will see if I can get my wild child to come out here… I reckon I still have a couple of tricks left up the sleeves of my coveralls.” He winked and then took the porch steps to his front door as I slowly followed behind. He closed the door enough so that she wouldn’t have seen me, yet I was still able to listen when her father shouted his obvious nick name for her. Oh, and I had to say, it was apt. Yet to me, she would always be Red or… My Wild One.

“Wild child of mine!”

“Yeah Dad?!” I heard her return the call, and I swear my Beast and I both sighed in relief just hearing her voice again. Fuck! But I even found my hand slapping to the side of their house just to steady myself.

My mate.

My claimed.

She was here.

“Coffee and cookies are waiting!” I scoffed a laugh at this, knowing yep, that would do it.

“AWESOME!” she shouted, making me grin, especially as she started muttering,

“I was looking for the stuff to get oil off, but it wasn’t in the bathroom cub… Hey Dad, you left the door open!” she shouted, coming to the door and just before she could slam it closed, I stepped up and placed a foot in her way. This made her look down to see why it wouldn’t close before I slapped a hand to the door, now pushing it open the rest of the way.

I swear had it not been one of the sexiest, most fuckable, beautifully endearing sights, then I would have chuckled at her wide eyes of shock. Especially when they took in my large body commanding the entire space before her. Fuck me, but it was almost comical. But then I saw the very second panic started to penetrate. So, before she got chance to retreat a single step back, I reached out, my hand taking hold and whipping out like a snake biting.

I snagged her by her waist, grabbing her to me and gave in to my very first impulse…

I kissed her.

13

WHEN A HELLBEAST COMES A’ KNOCKING

ELLA

His kiss.

A HellBeast’s kiss.

“Jared!” I shouted his name the second I came to my senses and was able to pull back from his strong hold on me, doing so now despite his slight growl of anger. But then I also had to say, this was one of the hardest things to achieve when all I wanted to do was continue to get lost in his kiss. Because I hated to admit to myself just how much I had missed him. How much kissing him had felt like coming home, despite where I was now standing. How much my heart had cracked further open the second I had to tear my lips from his, knowing the hurt I would only endure when walking away from him a second time.

Because I wasn’t his.

And he wasn’t mine.

I knew this despite the gaze of hunger he gave me now, as he looked me up and down as if I was some HellBeast’s feast he was getting ready to consume. Jesus, but all that was missing was him comically licking his lips before tying a checkered napkin around his neck. I mean, anyone would have thought I was wearing some sexy lingerie. Not a pair of dirty coveralls now tied at the waist by the sleeves and my belly on show thanks to the short white crop top I wore underneath. But then in my defence, I’d just stepped into the bathroom ready to clean up before my dad had shouted me down for coffee.

A trap.

There was no coffee. There were no cookies.

There was, however, a HellBeast King who looked as if the very last thing he wanted to do was let me go. I knew this when I tried to pull away and was tugged roughly to one side. Then he shut the front door behind me, before pushing me up against the wall of my house at the same time he buried his nose in my neck and growled,

“Mine.”

I sucked in a quick breath at the claim and the way it shamefully shot straight to my heart, instantly trying to mend the fractures he had left there. But I also knew not to trust it… not to trust this… not to trust him. Which was why I tried to pull away again, only this time my actions came with a stern warning.

“Not wise to push me, Red.” However, this growl of words was softened by his gentle actions, as he ran the backs of his fingers down my bare belly, while his other hand raised to my face. Once there, his thumb caressed a tender path across the apple of my cheek before he started grinning down at me,

“Although, I have to say, Red, seeing you like this, like some gearhead’s fucking wet dream is really helping take the fire out of my anger at having you run from me.” I swallowed hard the second that fire he spoke about shone through from his HellBeast. A dangerous flash in his eyes as his hellish, heated gaze made its slow journey of discovery down the length of my body and I swear I felt every second of it like a passionate caress. But then, just before I could try and slip out of his hold again, his thumb slipped down my face before he hooked a firm palm behind my neck, at the same time stepping even closer.

Then, as he tilted my head back, he growled down at me,

“But this is what is gonna make it go altogether.” Then he suddenly crushed his lips to mine, quickly kissing me again. But it wasn’t just his sudden actions that made me gasp in surprise. Not when he nipped at my bottom lip, swiftly making me give him the access he wanted. After this, he then wasted no time before slipping his tongue inside and tasting my shameless need for him for himself. I also found myself gripping onto him this time, as if I needed the feel of that strong body of his to secure me to the surreal reality he demanded I be a part of. I just couldn’t believe he was here right now, and kissing me like this of all things. Possessing my lips like a man obsessed with discovering the taste of me once more.

Like a man on a mission…

Like a HellBeast re-connecting to the one he owned.

Suddenly he pulled back and after looking up at the house, his gaze snapped to the side before he quickly took my hand in his. Then he started to pull me with him off the porch, making my head spin at the sudden movement.

In fact, my mind was still caught in a heavy, lustful fog that was keeping me prisoner. The fog was preventing me from even thinking. To the point that I was only questioning Jared’s actions when it seemed too late to do anything about them. As I soon found myself in my dad’s garage after he wrenched open the doors with enough strength that I half expected him to rip them clean off.

Then I was spun inside and seconds after he used those delicious muscles of his to close the doors, he turned slowly to face me. After this that heated gaze was back, one full of predatory intent as he started stalking towards me. This caused me to walk backwards until my lower back soon found the edge of the workbench with no other place to go. The two empty beer bottles rattled, echoing in the still tension his intensity was building. Bottles that finally tipped over the second Jared was in front of me, taking that last step and placing his hands at the edge of the bench either side of me, trapping me in. A satisfied smirk was all I was granted in response to my startled gasp before he lowered his head down to my lips. This was when I felt that smirk turn into a full grin as he made the first whisper of a sexual connection, placing his lips to mine before kissing me until this time…

I was breathless.

Good God, but this man knew how to turn me to putty in seconds. So much so, that it took me a while before coming back to my senses. But thankfully when I finally did, I did so with a jerked flinch once his free hand started to snake down my belly. Then, as he started to tug open where my sleeves were tied, I reacted. I hastily grabbed his hand, trying to stop him from whatever he thought he could do next. His growl had me squeezing his wrist tighter, rather than give way to the warning for me to let him go.

“Jared, please… this isn’t right… we shouldn’t be…” I tried to plead with him only to be cut off with a scowled warning,

“Don’t you dare finish that fucking sentence, Red, not while I am trying to erase the memory of finding you gone from my bed by replacing it with the feel of you in my arms,” he told me sternly, making me swallow hard.

“It was for the best,” I whispered painfully, making him growl again.

“The fuck it was!” he all but snarled, which was an anger that was burned out by the abrupt action of kissing me and making me give into him, as I swear it was like a drug I couldn’t deny any longer. Which also meant that I didn’t realise what he was doing with my hands as he moved them to my back, holding them there in one large hand. Then before I had the chance to try and break away from his hold, he used my sleeves, now tying them around my wrists and using this as a means of restraining me.

“Hey!” I complained far too late.

“Now that’s better,” he stated, making me frown as I tried to move my arms to the front of me, only to find this wasn’t working.

“Jared, what are you…?” I was cut off when he lowered his face closer to mine and whispered over my lips with a knowing, confident grin.

“Gotta hear the way my baby needs me… Fuck, but I missed your voice,” he told me, before his hand was now free to snake the rest of the way down my body, yanking hard enough at the few metal buttons to pop open and giving him freedom to slip his hand the rest of the way down.

“Jared, please don’t… oh God… fuck…” This ended on a sweet sounding moan when he grazed his thick fingertips against my core, getting me soaked in seconds. Then he used my arousal to coat my clit enough so his touch easily glided over the sweetest bundle of nerves. Naturally, my hands tensed, trying to get out of the material now tied around my wrists, making him have the audacity to chuckle against the side of my head, before muttering,

“You were saying, Sweetheart?” I opened my mouth to swear at his cocky ass and he knew it. As suddenly he thrust a thick finger inside, making me lose the strength of my words and instead giving way to a cry of pleasure. Then I felt his lips at my ear before he growled in a husky demand,

“Ride my hand, beautiful.” I shook my head but cried out again when he used his thumb to rub circles around my clit, at the same time keeping up the pace of fucking me with his fingers. This before he soon added a second finger and holy Jesus, I nearly came screaming after only thirty seconds.

“Can’t wait until I can finally claim you with my cock… I’ve been so desperate for you… you have no fucking clue how much I have wanted you… too fucking long, baby girl,” he told me, and I would have been lying if I said that his words didn’t mean something to me. If they didn’t try and take root and stay there, buried so fucking deep they were never coming out. Yet despite what was happening now, I still couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that I was the wrong girl now tied up and held captive in his masterful arms. Arms that seemed determined to keep me shuddering in them. As pretty soon, my orgasm was tearing through me, making me turn my head and cry out his name against his neck,

“Jared!”

“That’s it, sweetheart, feel it for yourself… feel how much I missed you… how much your body missed me,” he told me, making me pant through the pleasure he forced me to feel as soon my legs didn’t have the power to hold me up. Thankfully, he knew this as just before I sacked it to the floor, he pulled his hand free and lifted me, putting my ass to the bench. Then my eyes widened and a blush crept up my neck when he made a show of sucking my arousal off his coated fingers, never once taking his heated eyes from mine as he did it. Fuck me, but I swear it was one of the hottest sights I had ever seen, shamefully making my soaked core flutter as the last whispers of the release still teased me with the idea of more.

“Always… so… fucking… delicious,” he growled slowly, and the second I lowered my face and painfully whispered his name, this time doing so in what we both knew was regret, he rumbled his displeasure. Then he took hold of my face, framing my head with both hands and forced me to look back up at him. And with what I knew were words he wanted me to take seriously, he declared with a growl of words,

“You. Are. Mine.” Then before I could deny it, he kissed me again, possessing my heart and drowning my doubt, if only for a minute. But we both knew it would take more than a kiss to keep the scarred memories away forever. Which was why when I demanded quietly,

“Let me go, Jared,” he placed his forehead to mine and said,

“Never.” I sucked in a quick breath and tried again.

“Untie me, HellBeast.” He released a deep sigh and admitted,

“You’re not gonna make this easy for me, are you, my Fated?” This time I was the one to release a growl of my own before gritting out,

“I am not your Fated.”

“I will ignore the venom in your words in sight of your hurt, because you are my Fated and now… you are my Claimed,” he said, emphasizing both of these statements with a stern tone. I started shaking my head, telling him,

“I think you mean your wif…” I stopped throwing the insult the second I heard my mom calling, making me grit my teeth and say,

“Untie me!” At this his eyes suddenly lit up with mischief before he asked,

“What do I get in return?” I swear my mouth dropped.

“Jared! This is serious, untie me!” I hissed through gritted teeth, making him smirk.

“Quick, Red, as she’s getting closer… and I still have your cum coating my flesh…” he whispered against my cheek before nipping at it.

“Jared!” I hissed his name again, this time making him chuckle before kissing the slight sting.

“You should know by now, Red, that I have no issues with licking my fingers clean the second she comes in here,” he warned, making me gasp.

“You wouldn’t!” I tested, making him grin.

“Then you learned nothing in the time you were with me,” he said, making it sound like we were once boyfriend and girlfriend, which well, yeah, it kind of was like that.

“Fine! What do you want!?” I ground out, as I heard her calling my name again and making me freak out.

“Agree to come with me to Afterlife tonight and declare yourself as my Claimed.” At this my mouth once again fell open in utter shock, and my eyes widened to the point they felt like they would pop right out of my head.

“Erm… Come again?” I uttered, making him glance back and say,

“Better hurry, Red, as I do believe Daddy just joined in on the search.” My fearful gaze shot to the door as dread sank like a rock in the pit that was now my stomach.

“But that’s blackmail!” I threw at him, and he shrugged his shoulders after folding his large arms over his chest.

“Five seconds, Red.”

“But you can’t do this!” I tried again, making him only warn,

“Four seconds.”

“Jared, please!” I said, after trying in vain to free my own arms and pull up my coveralls that had caught around the tops of my thighs.

“Three,” he stated with another grin, one that deepened when I snarled the insult,

“You, asshole!” He simply winked and after getting closer to my face, whispered,

“Two.”

“Ella?” my mom called, making me quickly cave into his demands.

“Fuck! Okay, okay, quick!” I snapped, and before I knew it, my feet were on the floor, my hands were free, and my coveralls were back up to my waist. They were even quickly tied there with a sharp tug, one he ended by spinning me with the end of one sleeve so I was facing my dad’s truck.

“So, you were saying, Ella, about the exhaust?” Jared asked just as my dad opened the door to find Jared bending slightly, looking in the open hood. I frowned as this had all happened so fast, I swear my head was spinning.

“Erm…” was all I managed to say before my mom spoke.

“Ella, we were calling you… oh my, erm… hello,” my mom said, now getting flustered, taking in the sight of Jared as he straightened up, ready to play the part. And Jesus, what a sight he was. I swear it was the first chance I got to take in the sight of him fully myself. Damn, but the man really knew how to fill out a pair of stonewash jeans and a leather biker jacket. Holy Mother of all that was sexy and pure in the world, for my fluttering lady parts had no fucking hope!

“Mrs Connor, very nice to finally meet you,” Jared said, first checking his hand in a gentleman like way before offering it to my mother to shake. Who looked way past smitten and halfway to being in love, and no doubt ready to class him as part of the family. I just knew if offered a window into her mind, it would now be filled with visions of her daughter’s wedding playing out like some damn movie. One featuring Jared as her future son in law in a handsome suit, standing there at the end of a petal covered aisle.

Christ, but I nearly sighed myself.

“It’s very nice to meet you too, although I confess, Elle Belle here has failed to mention a boyfriend, so I’m afraid I don’t even know your name,” my mom said, making me want to groan at both the use of my childish nickname and the fact that she thought he was my boyfriend. Of course, I also didn’t miss the smirk playing at Jared’s lips before he introduced himself.

“I’m Jared Cer…”

“Cer… sissy,” I quickly jumped in and said without thinking too much on how weird that was for a last name.

“Erm… Cersissy, that’s erm, an unusual name,” my mom said. I tried to act natural, but I really wanted to smack my own forehead as Jared shot me a wry look before amending,

“It’s actually Cerberus, Jared Cerberus, and most definitely not a sissy in sight.” My dad laughed at this while my mom shot me a questioning look. Then Jared placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close before saying,

“Your beautiful girl, Ella here, thinks it’s odd to share my family name with a three headed HellBeast. One that guards the gates of the Underworld for Hades and prevents the dead from leaving but hey, it’s like I keep telling her, my family is just quirky like that.” Then Jared winked at me, giving me a squeeze and making me suddenly start choking. Which was why I quickly reached out and grabbed my dad’s beer out of his hand before I started chugging it down.

“Ella!” my mom called out at my behaviour, while my dad started chuckling.

“Sorry, just… swallowed the… wrong way.” I said in a hoarse voice before shooting Jared a scathing look over my shoulder, making him smirk back at me.

“It’s a nice truck you got here… I am always admiring Ella’s handy work on her F250. But looks like you just changed out the exhaust system,” Jared said, swiftly moving past the supernatural bomb he’d just planted, doing so like a pro.

“Yeah, Ella just helped me fix the new one in, didn’t you, honey?” my dad replied, making me nod and swipe a hand down at myself and say,

“Hence the sexy getup.” Then I looked to Jared to see his eyes scan the length of me, and not exactly being subtle about it.

“Oh my… okay well, erm why don’t we get out of this filthy garage and get a drink at the house,” my mom suggested, as if feeling the sexual tension rising to way past appropriate parent levels.

“He’s a biker, love, not an accountant… of course he was interested in the truck… right, lad?” my dad replied in such a way as if he knew exactly what he had been interested in, causing bad boy Jared to grin, while I wanted the earth to swallow me whole.

“That’s right, Ma’am,” Jared replied with a killer smile, making my mom giggle before waving her hand, telling him,

“Oh please, enough of all that, you go ahead and call me Libby now.”

“Will do, Libby,” he said, and I couldn’t believe it… this rough, tattooed biker just totally won over both my parents! Seriously, what the fuck was happening right now?!

“Now for the big question, are you a coffee drinker like my strange, wayward daughter here or does that English accent I detect tell me you’re a true brew drinker?” my mom asked, making my dad roll his eyes.

“Don’t know many English that aren’t big tea drinkers,” he replied, making my mom give him a beaming smile, before patting him on the arm and saying,

“Oh yes, you will do.” Then while everyone but me chuckled at this, my mom turned and started to make her way back into the house. As for my dad, he nodded towards Jared’s neck and threw him a rag off his belt, telling him in a wry tone and with a knowing look,

“Here you go, English, for you to wipe off the truck you’re so interested in.” Then he winked at me before turning to follow my mom back in the house. As for me, I was left covering my face with a dirty hand so I could groan into it before praying,

“Please God, let this crazy day end.” At this Jared laughed before wrapping an arm around my belly from behind, tugging me close and telling me just how he intended for it to end…

“Don’t worry, Red, it will end, and if I have my way, it will end the only way the rest of my days always should…”

“…With you in my bed.”

14

FRACTURED HEARTS

“Don’t worry, Red, it will end and if I have my way, it will end the only way the rest of my days ever should… With you in my bed,” Jared said, whispering this last part by my ear behind me. I would have been a damn liar if I even tried to deny the strength of his words, that and the effect they had on me.

But then it wasn’t the truth of my thoughts that was in question right now… it was the truth of his. Which was why with my fists clenched tightly around the material of my coveralls, I tried to convey this.

“Jared I… we…” In the end, I never got to finish, which was most likely for the best as I wasn’t even sure how that sentence would have ended.

No, instead, he let me go only so he could tag my hand in his as he walked past me. Then he started to pull me from the garage of sin and back towards my childhood home. Meanwhile, I was still in a constant state of shock as I could barely believe he was even here now, let alone what he just did to me up against that work bench. One I would never be able to look at in the same way ever again.

Jesus, what was wrong with me?!

Despite all this inner turmoil, I still let him pull me towards the house, barely having a moment to glance at the bike as we walked past. One that was now parked on our drive as if it strangely belonged there. Because if I was getting down to the bare bones of secret thoughts, then yeah, I was totally glad my parents seemed to like him. But then the practical thought process hit me like some cruel afterthought and just ended up making me want to kick my own ass for being so foolish.

Jared was not mine.

Period.

Now, if I could just get him to stop calling me his, then I had a chance at moving on from this weird shit I called my day. Yeah, great plan, Ella, I thought with a physical roll of my eyes he couldn’t see. Then before I knew it, the front door opened and closed so that the twilight zone episode could continue.

“Ella, why don’t you help me in the kitchen?” Mom said after sticking her head out of the doorway and giving me one of those, ‘get your ass in here, my child, I want to interrogate the crap out of you’ looks. Needless to say, it didn’t help when my dad whispered,

“No point prolonging it, kid, just go rip off the boyband aid.” I rolled my eyes and muttered,

“I swear a Monk’s temple in the Tibetan mountains is looking really tempting right about now.” At this Jared boomed with laughter before bold as fucking brass, he hooked me around the back of my neck and pulled me in for a hug, kissing my forehead before telling me,

“Go play the good daughter, Red.” I sighed after first going ramrod straight in his hold, knowing my dad was watching us and taking it all in. So, with little choice, I nodded, giving Jared the hint to let me go and trying to ignore the approving gaze my dad was giving him.

Great, just fucking peachy, I thought as I made my way to the kitchen, dragging my heels like a kid who’d been told to go to bed. But then being sent to my room right now seemed like a damn lottery win… hell, but add a bowl of broccoli and algebra homework to it and even that I would take over this. Especially when I finally made it to the kitchen and saw what my mom was rooting out of the cupboard.

“Oh no, Mom, please God no, not the good China,” I complained when I saw her dusting off the ‘good guest tea set’.

“What?” she asked as those greying red curls I had inherited bounced up when shooting me a quizzical look.

“Mom, he’s a biker from London and owns a bar, not some wealthy English aristocrat here for a game shoot,” I told her, making her scoff,

“Yes, well he is also the first boy you’ve ever brought home.” I swear, I nearly groaned.

“First, he’s a man, not a boy, as personally, I think he skipped that patchy facial hair growth thing altogether and just woke up one day with a full beard and secondly, I am pretty sure it also means he would drink his tea out of a rusty oil can if it’s all there was lying around,” I pointed out, making her smirk before adding,

“You forgot ruggedly handsome.” This time I did groan, especially when she wagged her eyebrows at me.

“Nope, pretty sure I covered that with the whole man thing,” I said, reaching up to grab a cup, knowing the exact one I had in mind for Mr ruggedly handsome man & Mom charmer. Speaking of the smitten woman, she looked down at it and with a shake of her head, told me,

“Oh, you are too cruel, Carrie Ella Connor.” I grinned to myself before using my ‘works every time’ innocent tone that had been getting me out of trouble since the great playpen escape at eighteen-months-old.

“Who me? Besides, just call it knocking that testosterone down a peg or two, you know, before he starts doing shots and calling the strippers over.” Then I winked, making my mom giggle.

“Honestly, you would think you’re trying to get us not to like him.”

“Mom, I am pretty sure you’re already planning our wedding and Dad is out there right now telling him how good I am with a welder and body paint… I’m positive that disapproving boyfriend ship sailed the moment he called you Ma’am.”

“That and the muscles… Holy hell,” she muttered, fanning herself. My mouth dropped, as holy Hell was about right, and in more ways, than one… like six hundred and sixty-six of them!

“Mom!” I hissed, making her laugh.

“What? I’m in my sixties, love, not dead and blind.”

“I am pretty sure being dead trumps being blind,” I reminded her of the obvious, to which her response was to throw something even more obvious my way in return.

“Yeah, well you seem pretty sure of a lot of things these days, like keeping the fact you have a boyfriend from your mom!” She hissed this last part, making me wince. Because okay, so she had a good point there, as I had said I was ‘pretty sure’ several times already. This when, ironically, the only thing I wasn’t ‘pretty sure’ about was what the hell Jared was doing here and why he was acting out the perfect boyfriend routine.

Had claiming me made him crazy?

Crazy enough to say, forget the fact that he had a wife he was still madly in love with and has been searching for all these years?

Yeah, well no one was that damn crazy!

Hence why I said in a deflated tone,

“It’s complicated, Mom.” This was as I dunked the tea bag in and out of the mug, now focusing way too hard on the way the water turned into the colour of the suntan I always wished for when on holiday. Okay, so maybe not the exact colour, but I would have taken anything but a sore shade of lobster. As no one in the history of holiday goers thought their skin clashing with their hair was a sexy look!

“Honey, you’re zoning out again,” my mom said, and let’s just say that this type of thing happened enough that she and my dad thought it useful to point it out when the habit occurred. I sighed, making my mom bump my hip to get me out of the way, as clearly there was a way to butcher making tea, and I was doing it. Then she shook her head down at the cup before telling me,

“Well, he seems nice to me, so that gives me the impression the only one making this complicated is you, Ella.” At this I threw up a dramatic hand and said,

“Seriously… you’re basing all that on the fact that he’s hot?”

“Well, clearly I am not the only one, seeing as you were the one making out with him in your dad’s garage.” My mom whispered this last part in one of those, ‘ha, a mother knows’ tones.

“I was not doing… okay so fine, I was making out with him,” I said when she followed this ‘knowing tone’ up with a ‘knowing look’ that moms seemed to be a master at and basically told any offspring of theirs not to dare lying… even at nearly thirty.

“Although technically, he was actually making out with me… God, but why are you even focusing on that part, Ella?” I said, finishing this pointless bit of extra information by scolding myself for even saying it.

“I think you will find you’re the one focusing on the details, love. I am just pointing out that you clearly like this boy…”

“…Man,” I said, once again focusing on those pointless details.

“This boy biker man, whatever you want to call him, the fact is, I know my daughter and therefore I know when she really likes someone and is afraid.” I groaned at this before almost snapping the word back.

“Afraid?” At this she stopped making tea, turned to me, held both my arms and said,

“Yeah honey, you’re afraid of letting yourself get close enough to bring him here, as you know that would make it real and therefore you would get your heart broken again.” At this I released a sigh knowing what she was referring to. Because in my mom’s head, this had happened before. Back when I returned from my trip at the tender age of eighteen and when a biker HellBeast King turned my world literally upside down. Little did she know of course that he was currently sitting out there in our living room making man talk with my dad.

“Now here, go take him his tea and don’t forget to ask if he wants any sugar.” I sighed and instead of trying to ask for my own hot beverage, I reached into the fridge and grabbed a beer, telling my mom,

“Fine, but in that case, I’m taking this with me.” My mom chuckled as I left with Jared’s precious tea in one hand and with my much-needed beer in the other. However, the second I left the kitchen I didn’t wait for Jared, I just shouted,

“I’m going to my room but don’t worry, Dad, it still says ‘boys not allowed’ on the door, so we are all good.” I heard a few chuckles from below before I heard Jared tell my dad,

“I guess that’s my cue to venture into unchartered territory.” But of course, my dad laughed… Traitor. As well, clearly everyone in this house loved a crazed, bad boy biker Beastman called Jared Sissypants!

“Seriously didn’t think you would actually have that sign on the door,” Jared commented as he entered my room.

“I made it when I was ten, Jared, not yesterday, although had I known you were coming, I would have sure as shit added to it,” I said wryly, making him chuckle. Then I walked over to him and handed him his ‘mug’ and said,

“Here you go, tea boy… there is no sugar.” He looked down at it, read the pink glittery words and raised a sexy brow before saying,

“Really, Red?”

“Hey, if the shoe fits,” I said, before shrugging my shoulders and swigging back on my beer after twisting off the bottle cap. Then I casually leaned back against my window ledge, trying to act cool and not burst out laughing. He shook his head as a grin played at his lips, before taking a sip from the ridiculously girly mug that had a rainbow arrow pointing up at the drinker, and the words, ‘This is what a pretty Princess looks like’.

“Enjoying that, princess, or does it need something sweeter for you?” I asked, making him groan and reply,

“I think I would prefer that rusty oil can.” Then he looked up slowly and winked at me, adding to it a knowing grin that filled me with utter dread. An ice-cold, body chilling realization that hit me full force…

Jared had heard everything I had said to my mom in the kitchen.

This was confirmed when he placed his mug down on my sticker covered desk he was leaning against and said with frightening calm,

“Speaking of which, who the fuck broke your heart and who do I have to kill because of it?” I sucked in a quick breath, gripping harder onto my bottle of beer to the point I thought it might crack in my hand.

“You heard everything?” I screeched, stupidly pointing out the obvious.

“HellBeast, sweetheart… got great hearing,” he replied, tapping on his ear, doing so in a cocky way as if this first statement was the answer to most things.

“Well, it’s rude, HellBeast or not!” I stated, making him laugh.

“And yet your mum doesn’t seem to think so,” he said, crossing his arms. I also didn’t miss the way he said ‘Mum’ his own ‘English way’ and damn him, but even that sounded better.

“My parents are just glad I didn’t decide to join a nunnery… trust me here, Jared, I could have brought one of your Demon clowns home for Christmas and they would have passed him the eggnog.” At this he laughed before making demands of me.

“Come here, funny girl.” I forced myself not to grin at this or let the sexy rumble of his compliment dig its way deeper into my heart. Ice queen Ella.

“Nope, I am just dandy where I am, thank you very much,” I said, before tipping the neck of my bottle towards him then taking another swig of my beer, making his eyes grow heated again.

“You gonna make me work for it, is that it?” he asked boldly, making me try once more not to choke when swallowing.

“Honestly, Jared, I am not even sure why you’re even here working for it at all,” I said, masking my hurt and jealously with the fake tone of indifference.

At this he clenched his jaw as clearly my words got to him, digging deep just as his own had done to me. Only, one look at his expression and I knew that for him it was clearly not in the way he wanted them to… they were the wrong words. I knew this when his eyes flashed silver before narrowing as he forced out through gritted teeth,

“You know exactly why I am here… but then, it’s like your mum said, you’re just scared.” This time it was my turn to tense my jaw and grit out,

“Yes well, my mom, also doesn’t know a lot of things, like who her daughter was really dating.” Okay so I admit, I let this part slip out and knew my mistake the moment he replied, informing me cruelly,

“We weren’t dating, Red.” And ouch, okay, so yeah, that stung. Which was why I physically flinched, before flinging back at him,

“Yeah well, we weren’t fucking either, so what would you call it? Friends with hardly any benefits other than spooning in bed every night!” I snapped, making him growl.

“Careful, Red, it’s not wise to push me right now.”

“Yeah, well right back at ya, Princess!” I snapped, making him argue,

“Will you quit it with the Princess shit?” I rolled my eyes and replied sarcastically,

“Sure thing, honey, what would you prefer I call you? A pretty little liar or a spineless HellBeast that led me on and made me think that you gave a shit about me?!” I shouted, officially losing my shit and banging down my beer on my window ledge, just so I wasn’t tempted to throw the damn thing at him… again. But then, wasn’t that the kicker here, as what I wouldn’t give to be back to that first argument. Back to a time when I was more afraid of him than I was at giving him my heart.

Back before I knew his own heart already belonged to another.

At this he looked ready to explode, but then the second he saw the way I swiped angrily at a damn tear that escaped, he released a deep sigh. Then he dragged a hand through his tied hair and told me,

“I didn’t… fuck, Red, but I… we… fuck!” he growled this at the end, now tearing his angry gaze from the hurt I allowed him to see. I had to say, it was the first time I was seeing Jared so lost for words. So, torn. So, conflicted. Which was why suddenly I felt bad for being a bitch and released my own sigh.

“Look, I’m sorry, I am clearly not dealing with this whole thing very well and now with you being here, and around my parents, in my old bedroom… it’s just…”

“What… it’s just what, Ella?” he asked cautiously, and I released a shuddered breath, now shaking my head a little before telling him,

“It’s just messing with my head, okay?” At this he gave me a soft look before glancing around at my room as if he was only now taking it in for the first time. Which meant that he was awarded the sight of my bed covered in stuffed animals, mainly wolves, and to match, a throw of a wolf howling at the moon. Then, instead of your typical boy band posters on the wall, I had yet even more pictures of wolves, along with a shelf full of wolf figurines.

Then he told me,

“We weren’t dating, Red, but we were something… we were…” He paused with a sigh, looking down at the rainbow rag rug I had made when I was twelve, focusing on it enough to move his biker boot from the edge, as if he was afraid of getting it dirty. As for me, I couldn’t give a shit whether one step of his caused it to unravel, just like his touch had the power to do to me. No, the whole room could have gone up in flames, and I think I still would have asked,

“We were what, Jared?” At this he took a deep breath before finding my eyes again and this time, there was no hesitation in his words.

Words that admittedly, started to heal a fractured heart.

A heart that yearned for him the moment he replied,

“We were so much more.”

15

BALLERINA THREATS

“Jared, I don’t…” The moment I started to speak, it was as though he knew what I was going to say and to save him the pain of my denial, he focused once more on the room before telling me,

“You know, I’ve never had to do the whole, ‘meet the parents’ scenario before but have to say, I think I nailed it.” He said this in a cocky tone, and I knew he was trying to change the subject to one more playful.

“Yes well, like I said, they have low expectations, so what ya gonna do?” At this he growled light-heartedly and warned,

“Behave, pet.” I smirked in return, unable to help myself from flirting back. Because this was Jared we were talking about and in all honesty, after the time we had spent together, then I really didn’t know any other way to be around him.

After this he made a show of pushing from my desk and walking around my room, before nodding to my obvious obsession and saying,

“So, I am picking up a theme here.” Naturally, I gave him a wry look and said,

“Yeah, most people do.” Then he walked over to me, and I couldn’t help but hold my breath, pausing mid-action as I was raising the beer bottle to my lips. With a cocky yet handsome grin, he used my hand to tip it his way before finishing it off for himself.

“Hey, that’s not fair.”

“Consider it payback for being made to use that mug.” Then he grinned at me, and I swear my heart fluttered, now with some cheesy track playing in my head that sounded very much like, ‘Breathless’ by the Corrs.

“Well, you are very pretty,” I replied on a comical whisper, causing another grin to play at the corner of his lips, this time as his silver-grey eyes danced with mirth.

“I thought it was ‘ruggedly handsome’?” he said, referring back to my conversation with my mom in the kitchen and making me cringe.

“Technically, it was my mom who said that. I am pretty sure I just mentioned you being a bearded biker from London who owns a bar.” Again, his grin grew even bigger.

“Don’t forget about all my muscles,” he said, removing his leather jacket as if on purpose, and I squirmed when he chuckled as he didn’t miss the way my eyes drank in the delicious sight of him. But then come on, he wasn’t exactly playing fair! Not with the way his black tee stretched tight across his torso, one I knew had more hard lines than a damn tree trunk! However, I casually shrugged my shoulders at this and said,

“Again, I think you will find that one’s on my mom again… hey, do you want me to call her up here so she can drool over you some more, as that’s a sure way to piss off my dad and get you chucked out of here?” At this he threw his head back and laughed this time. In fact, he was still chuckling when he suddenly grabbed me by the knot of my sleeves still tied at my belly, tugging me closer. Then he told me,

“Last I heard, your mum is planning our wedding, so not sure there is much I can do wrong at this point… besides, I don’t want to mess this up… as I’ve plenty of bikes in need of a good paint job, kitten.” He finished this by winking at me, and I couldn’t help it, I started giggling. A sound he looked to have missed as he tried not to laugh, something he usually did when hearing the hiccupping sounds I made. No, instead he decided to share with me another thought of his.

“Fuck me, you look hot, Red,” he said, then shocked the laughter from me as he skimmed his thick fingers down the centre of my bare belly once more.

“Jared,” I said, unable to help the way it came out as a breathless plea… or had it been a purr?

“I swear I am going to start breaking my shit on purpose just so I can get you in overalls more often… maybe all days ending in Y.” I blushed at this before muttering,

“They are called coveralls.” At this he grinned and after running his fingertips across my belly side to side this time, he told me,

“Pretty sure this isn’t covering all, Red, not that I am fucking complaining.” Then he plucked at the crop top between my breasts, that I swear were seconds away from being renamed a pair of slut bags straining to get closer to him of their own accord.

“It erm… gets hot in that garage,” was my lame excuse, making him hook me around the back of the neck so he could pull my lips to his and once there, he growled over them,

“Oh, I remember.”

Then he kissed me.

Once more, I was lost to all that was Jared as I practically melted into him. To the way he masterfully took control, tilting my head the way he wanted it and banding a strong arm around my back as he drew me closer. I could also tell that he was trying to be gentle with me, despite the way his muscles tensed just before he deepened the kiss. It was almost as if he was trying to hold himself back but finding it difficult. Which was when my mind started to question why, coming up with the most paranoid reason, being that somehow claiming me had fucked with his head.

Was that the reason he wanted me now? Because since saving my life he felt almost compelled to act this way? Was it more like some supernatural compulsion? Like some switch being flicked for his HellBeast to take control and be the one to push this need for me into overdrive.

I didn’t know, which meant all I had to go on was what I did know, and that was the heart-breaking truth I had overheard. That he hadn’t wanted to claim me days ago for a reason. A reason that in my mind still stood strong, which was why I started to pull away. And his reaction to this was to growl low before pulling back enough to say in a gruff tone,

“Listen to your mum, Ella and don’t over complicate this.” Suddenly I was furious, especially after everything I had heard him say to his brother, because I had been ready to give him everything! So, if there was anyone who had over complicated this then it was him, not me! This was why I reached out with my hand and grabbed the first thing I could that might get his attention.

“How about this, is this over complicating things, Jared?” I asked in a dangerous tone that I was hoping he took seriously, especially with the sharp point I now held under his chin. He slowly started to move his head down, so he could now take in what it was I had held there as a weapon in my hand. I had to say, the smirk wasn’t what I had been expecting. But then I guess the little gold ballerina on top of my dancing trophy wasn’t what he would have considered much of a threat, despite the way her pointed hands were now digging into his flesh.

“Must say, never seen a ballerina look so deadly… oh and you might not want to do that,” he said with a knowing grin, making me snap,

“Why not, too real for you, Beastman?”

“Only as real as your mum coming up the stairs and, babe… I’m pretty sure she’s not a big fan of her daughter threatening the guests.” At this I gasped when hearing that he was right, making me lower it just in time before my mom knocked on the door. Then without waiting long, she walked in carrying a plate of cookies, telling us,

“Elle Belle, you forgot to take up the biscuits.” I gripped on tighter to the trophy now held at my back and forced a smile, telling her,

“Thanks, mom, but not sure Jared…” At this, the man in question took over and crossed the room to my mom in only three strides. Then he took the plate from her, acting as the perfect gentleman and basically, a guy I barely knew, telling her,

“Thanks, Mrs Connor, that’s very kind.” At this my mom looked close to fanning herself, not so subtly taking note of him now without his jacket and clearly admiring what she thought was in store for her daughter. But then this wasn’t surprising as she was married to my dad and well, he still worked out and had done every day of his life. Meaning he was no slouch in the muscle department. But then it also had to be said that Jared took this to a whole other level and looked like he could bench press my truck.

So clearly my mom had a type, I thought with an internal roll of my eyes, knowing that damn it, but clearly… so did I.

“Oh please, like I said, call me Libby.” At this Jared awarded her with one of his killer smiles and this time I did roll my eyes for real, making my mom give me a scathing look when she caught it.

“Okay, Mom, thanks, but I will take it from here,” I said before ushering her out of the room, still keeping my trophy out of sight.

“Yes, yes, I know when I am not wanted,” she said, then made a show of reaching out and taking my ‘no boys allowed’ sign off the door, winking at me. I groaned, making her chuckle all the way down the stairs as clearly, she had been waiting for this day for a while and was having way too much fun with it.

I was still shaking my head in exasperation as I closed the door, hearing the crunch of a cookie the second I did. I whipped around quickly, only to find the cocky bastard leaning once more on my desk looking smug. Then he swallowed, finishing the cookie whole before making a show of licking the chocolate off his finger, telling me his thoughts,

“You know, I think this proves your mum likes me.”

“Oh please, she would offer cookies to the tax man,” I replied, making him grin before saying,

“Yeah, but these are that good, I think they must be homemade,” he teased, making me laugh once before telling him,

“Well, if that was the case it would mean she hates you, as I love my mom but she can’t cook for shit. These cookies aren’t charred black nor are you two seconds away from vomiting, so trust me, they are definitely shop bought or purchased from some lucky girl scout who knows she is on to a good thing by coming here every year,” I said, waving my trophy at him like this would help in making my point. Again, he just looked amused by the sight.

“Whatever you say, Elle Belle,” he mocked, making me hold my weapon up again and point it at him.

“And that there, Princess, is your cue to leave.” I emphasized this threat by swinging the trophy towards the door before back to him. Unsurprisingly, he took this warning about as serious as if I had been threatening to throw marshmallows at him. At this he raised a brow before concentrating on the trophy for only a second before it was suddenly yanked out of my hand and shot straight into his. Then he looked at it, obviously reading that it was first place and muttering under his breath,

“Cute.” Then he gently put it down on the desk as if it wasn’t just some cheap gold plastic, before picking up the plate of cookies and said,

“Biscuit?” At this I groaned, snatched out for one, took an angry bite and said,

“You mean cookies.” At this he gave me the same look I remembered seeing once before, only strangely it was one from a memory I shouldn’t have had. This was confirmed when he replied,

“No, Red… I mean biscuit.” That’s when I dropped the plate, making it smash to the floor before I took a step back, now covering my lips and capturing my gasp of shock with my hands.

One look at him, and I could tell he knew. His ‘oh fuck’ expression told me all I needed to know, one that was quickly followed by his cursed confession.

“Ah, shit,” he muttered as he knew exactly what this was. But then of course he did, because there was only one person who would have commanded it be done.

Which was why I accused him in a dangerous tone…

“You asked Marcus to erase my memories.”

16

HEARTBREAKING ASKS

“Ella.”

“No!” I shouted, stepping back as he approached me and going straight for the door. I only managed to get it open barely a crack before it was being slammed shut from behind me. So, I turned and tried to push him back, making him growl before he took me in his arms, warning me,

“Calm the fuck down, Red, and let me fucking explain!” Of course, this only made me shout back at him,

“Fuck your explanations!” Then I tried to fight my way free of his hold, which seconds later didn’t end so well for me. Not seeing as he had my wrists shackled in his hands and was quickly pinning them above my head, now holding them to the door. So, I did a sneaky thing and shouted,

“Oww!” He instantly let me go, making me use this as a way to get out of the door. However, my victory was short lived as I barely made it to the landing before I was snagged from behind. Then, with a hand over my mouth so I couldn’t scream, he carried me back into the bedroom with only one arm. Then he put me down, snarling at me this time,

“Are you still injured!?”

“Like you care!” I shouted, making him take a step closer and say more seriously this time,

“Stop fucking around, Ella, and answer me!”

“No, alright?! Your magic Beastman blood fixed this broken little human!” I snapped with venom, and before I knew it my wrists were again in his hands, held prisoner above me, and I found myself once more with my back to the door.

“That was a sneaky fucking trick, Red,” he seethed down at me, making me hiss back,

“Let go of me!”

“Not fucking happening!” was his unrelenting reply, giving me no other option but to huff in return. Then, after a few seconds of us both panting through the silent part of the argument and glaring at each other, he was the first to take a calmer breath before continuing on.

“Looks like we have been here before, little dancer,” he hummed down at me, making me try to knee him, a hit he took to the thigh as he turned his leg to block his precious HellBeast balls.

“Let me go!” I snarled again, not wanting to scream this so my parents got involved and wondered why I was trying to attack who they wrongly thought was my boyfriend. And if I was honest, they had seemed so happy to think he was, I hadn’t the heart to fight against it, secretly relishing in it myself.

Damn my weak heart.

But as for my parents, well I knew they worried about me being alone all the time, despite telling them I had friends and that I loved my job. They both thought I needed a man in my life and in truth, I knew they took one look at rough Jared here and thought that he was perfect for me. After all, I had been nicknamed ‘Wild One’ for a reason.

“Like I said, that’s not going to happen, Red, so you would be better getting that firmly out of your head now, ‘cause I am never letting you go… You. Are. Mine.” I turned my head quickly so he ended up saying this against my cheek, speaking these three words like a vow.

“I belong to no one, least of all you!” I threw back, but instead of getting angry at this, I felt him grin against my cheek before he told me,

“You keep telling yourself that if it helps with your pride, love, but we both know the truth… or do I have to remind you again which name it is you call when you come screaming?” I closed my eyes at this and whispered in a pained way,

“That’s not fair.”

“No, what’s not fair is finally learning that you are my Chosen One after only half claiming you, and then finding out you had run from me before giving me a single fucking chance to explain why you heard the shit I said to Orth… that there, Ella, is the very definition of what’s not fair.” I shook my head before opening my eyes and staring back into his heated gaze, one full of regret and pain.

“And what was I supposed to do, Jared? What did you expect would happen when I found out all you were keeping from me…? That you… you have a wife.” At this he looked pained for a moment as this time he was the one to close his eyes.

“Had a wife, Red, past tense.” I sighed and told him,

“It doesn’t matter, you should have told me.” At this he pushed off me and dragged a frustrated hand through his hair before his head snapped back to face me. It was all hard lines down to a tensed jaw and gritted teeth, making the scar running through his brow stand out all the more because of his anger.

“Oh, you wanna play that game with me? How about telling me you had a fucking illness inside your body and the fact that you quit taking medicine for that shit…?”

I gasped at that, knowing that I should have been expecting the blow. But then what comeback did I have? None. Which was why I tore my guilty eyes from his and looked to the floor, now shaking my head and wondering who it was shook at this time, him or me?

“…You know, Ella, the type of thing that almost got you killed, dying in my fucking arms… you wanna talk about that? Because I am pretty sure that out of the two, only one of them was life threatening information!” I flinched back, now holding myself around my belly as all the anger left me and only shame was there to be found in its place. Because he was right, I was the cause of this, not him. I shouldn’t have left my treatment for so long or pushed myself the way I had.

I shouldn’t have pushed him into claiming me.

I should have just left him. I should have taken one look at that stage and just kept on running. But then that was the thing, no matter how many ‘should haves’ there were, there was no going back to choose any of them. There was only facing the consequences of the ones I had made, and that included having this painful conversation.

“Did… did Amelia tell you?” I asked in what I knew was a small voice.

“Yeah, she did, but it should have been you,” he said lashing out again. Only, when he saw me flinch from the verbal attack, he finally released a deep sigh and, with it, some of his anger.

“You should have told me, Red,” he said again, making me sigh this time.

“I didn’t want you to know.”

“Yeah, I got that, baby, but that wasn’t your decision to make.” At this my head snapped up.

“It’s my body, Jared!” I argued, making him shake his head at me.

“Not anymore,” he told me, still holding on to his calm whereas I clearly wasn’t.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked in an incredulous tone.

“You’ve been claimed, Red, what do you think it means?” I frowned at this before telling him,

“Oh right, and what’s your excuse for before you got ownership on my body, eh?” I asked sarcastically.

“You were under my protection,” he stated, as though this was an written law in some HellBeast rule book someone forgot to give me at the beginning of when this shit started.

“And I guess I need protecting against myself, is that what you’re saying?!” I foolishly asked, knowing I had pretty much proven this by nearly dying on his stage. Jesus, Ella, just keep pushing will you.

“That’s exactly what I am saying, and I think recent events have proven it to be fact, don’t you?” I shook my head at that, having no other comeback seeing as I knew that I had walked straight into that one.

“And what about in my trailer, Jared, was I unknowingly under your protection then?” At this he finally looked stumped on how to answer.

“My reasons are my own and that’s all you need to know on the matter,” he replied in that stern voice of his that was meant to brook no argument. But then, hey, this was me we were talking about, the one pushing all his buttons and still breathing.

“Oh, how very stalkerish of you,” I commented dryly, making him growl.

“Well, Sweetheart, I can skip right past stalker and straight to jailor in a heartbeat, you just say the fucking word and I’m fucking there.” I sucked in a quick breath at this and lashed back at him,

“Okay, so you know that’s fucked up… right?”

“No, dancing till you fucking break and nearly killing yourself is fucked up!” he shouted, making me gasp as he hit me again with the worst of my crimes. At this I turned away the moment he regretfully spoke my name,

“Ella.”

“No… no… you’re right… you’re right, Jared. That’s on me. I am the one who fucked us both over. But what’s done is done.”

“Ella, stop!” he tried, but stop was the one thing I couldn’t seem to do.

“But now I know the truth and well, now you know I know it too, the only question left is how we are going to undo what’s been done?” I said, making his head snap up, and the seething look he gave me as he narrowed his gaze told me I was in trouble. Bigger trouble than before. Because that scathing look told me this was the very last thing he wanted to hear me say.

“You really think that’s why I’m here… seriously, girl, have you even been listening to me?!”

“Jared, I…” This time I was the one to say his name in a softer way, in what even he knew was an attempt at taming the beast. Not something I managed to achieve I should point out, especially when he took a determined step closer to me before telling me in a hard, unyielding tone,

“There is no undoing this, there is no going back, Ella, and you’re a fucking fool if you think there is… if you thought there ever was!” I swallowed down the fearful lump at this and pressed on.

“But we have to find a way.” At this he stalked the rest of the way towards me and before I could even back up a step, he collared my throat, pressing me against the door and holding me captive. Of course, he wasn’t hurting me, but it was a move I took seriously enough that I wasn’t foolish enough to try and fight him.

“Now listen to me, Ella, for I ain’t fucking saying it again… I. Claimed. You… Which means that running away off to your precious uncle and hiding behind his protection isn’t going to work.” This time the hard lump I swallowed was one he felt before he pressed on and told me a whole lot more I didn’t want to hear.

“He cannot keep you from me, do you understand? He can’t help you, Ella. Because there is no breaking this connection… Ever. There is no magic fucking potion you can take to tear me out of your heart and there is no fucking spell to whisper in my ear to rip you from my fucking soul!” I sucked in a breath before releasing it on a shudder.

“Jared, please… I…”

“You, Ella… you are buried in there, so fucking deep there is no digging you out, not even if I lost my Gods be damned mind and wanted to, which I fucking don’t! I would never let it happen, not even…” he paused, and I held my breath captive before forcing myself to speak, willing to beg him to finish if that was what it would take.

“N-n-not… even?” I asked in a fearful tone.

“Not even if you asked me to,” he replied, making me draw in a stunned breath. Then he stepped away and walked over to get his jacket, putting it on as he said,

“Now this is what is going to happen, Red, I am going to leave for a few hours, but then I am coming back for you and I expect you to be on the back of my bike when I do.” I gave him a confused look before trying to make sense of this new order.

“But I…” He interrupted me with a stern look and continued,

“You will be on my bike, and I am going to get your ass to Afterlife where you are going to accept my claim over you in front of the King so he won’t stand in my way of taking you home.” At this my mouth opened before closing, and doing it once more before a single word was all that made it through in hopes of clarifying what this next level of crazy he was planning.

“Home?”

“Yeah, Red, home… you know that small box you live in and the place I am willing to take you.”

“You’re taking me home?” I asked, totally stunned as it was the very last thing I expected him to say.

“Think I made that clear, babe, although with that hopeful look you now got on your face, I am thinking your reasons and mine are not the same.”

“What do you mean?” I asked thinking… no, knowing… this was not looking good for me.

“The only reason I am taking you home is so you can pack up your shit, get your dog, and once these two things have happened, then your ass is getting on a plane right next to mine on the way back to London, where as my Fated, you will stay.” I listened to all this, and I swear by the time I shifted from the door so he could open it, I was ready to have him committed as being insane. However, none of what he’d just said was what I focused on right now, as I had only one last thing to ask him. Something that wasn’t about him taking me home or pack up ‘my shit’. That wasn’t about getting my dog or my ass being on a plane. It wasn’t even about me being on the back of his bike and declaring him as my new owner.

No, it was about none of these things.

What it was about was the other, most important ‘not even’ still left for him to say.

“And what if she asked you to, Jared… what then?” I watched as he froze in his steps with his hands tensing on the frame, now with his back to me. His instant reaction told me he knew what I meant. That I was referring back to his earlier claim that he wouldn’t dig me out of where I was buried inside him, not even if I asked him to.

But it wasn’t me I ever had to worry about asking.

No.

It was his wife.

Which was why he looked back at me over his tensed shoulder and as I waited, I held myself so still it felt as if I could break.

Then he told me,

“Well, that’s the thing about the dead, Ella…” he said pausing, making me flinch and just before he left me alone for good, he told me what I knew for him was the heart-breaking truth…

“…They can’t ask anything of me… not anymore.”

17

THE DEBT OF FORGIVENESS

JARED

“Fuck! Where the fuck is she?!” I snapped towards my brother who like me, sat on his bike with the engine turned off as we waited for a car to pull up.

“She will be here,” he assured me, making me almost snarl,

“You know that for sure, do you?”

“She got the message, Bro, don’t worry, blondie will be here.” I released a pent-up sigh, and not for the first time today felt like ripping out my fucking hair! But then it wasn’t surprising I was on edge, considering the way I had left things with Red. Fuck, but I felt like I was stuck on a fucking tight rope!

Of course, it hadn’t all been bad, in fact, most of it had been fucking perfect. Like when I had her breathy little moans calling out my name as she came with my fingers inside of her. That snug warmth, tugging at my fingers, clenching tighter around them. Gods, but I could barely fucking wait to take her, to claim her the way I should have done fucking weeks ago.

She was fucking perfect!

But I also knew I had pushed her too hard and too fucking far this time. I had hurt her and my punishment for that was having that shit thrown in my face at any opportunity and well, I couldn’t say that I fucking blamed her. In fact, when backed into a corner I had only gone and done the same thing, reminding her of how foolish it was to keep her illness from me.

I was furious at her but in truth, I was more furious at myself. Because I was the fool. The fool who missed all the signs. The fool who ignored how I felt.

The fool she ran from.

But no more. That shit ended today, but just in case this all backfired on me, I was covering all bases and for that, I needed a very different type of Queen. Speaking of which…

“Heads up, J, she didn’t come alone.”

“Oh fabulous,” I commented dryly, just as three chicks left the car all looking as gorgeous as they did batshit crazy, one in particular.

“I know, it’s so utterly fabulous, isn’t it! Like the Scooby gang just arrived and who’d have thought it, but it isn’t Uncle Willy keeper of the lighthouse after all.”

My brother shot me a confused as fuck look as the craziest of the girl gang bounced up first. Mrs bonkers herself who was an insane package of cute, sexy and scary as fuck considering who her husband was. A man I would bet my new Harley on didn’t have a fucking clue she was currently standing opposite a bunch of HellBeast bikers.

“Mrs Ambrogetti,” I greeted with a nod of my head because well, like I said, pissing off the Imp came with end of the world dire consequences as there was no fucker feared more than her husband. Ironic then that the guy’s vessel looked more like that Tax man Ella’s mum would offer biscuits to. But what was even more ironic was the way she looked, seeing as you couldn’t have got further away from the tweed and bowtie look her husband was often seen wearing. No, this chick looked like a Gods be damned rainbow had thrown up over her, starting with her green and now pink hair.

Gods almighty, I had no fucking clue what the fuck she was wearing, but it looked like she had robbed a sweetshop and made a fucking outfit from it. She even had two giant striped lollypops over her tits and some knitted wrap over the top. Well, I knew one thing, and that was I would have lost my shit if I ever knew Ella had left the house with so much skin on show. Fuck, but I remember my reaction when seeing that scrap of material she had called a dress that the fucking Manushya-Rakshasi Demon had worn when making me believe it was Ella. The one that had taken on her imagine and was still on my kill list!

But as for this mad chick, well I think even my brother was trying not to look when she ripped a candy cane off her belt that was doing a shit job at keep the barely-there tartan skirt in place. I had to suppress a grin when she purposely winked at him, making him hiss a curse, like her husband, Adam, was here now and this meant he was soon to be a dead man.

“Beastman… oh yeah, I totally licked that grapevine,” she said, now turning her attention my way. I rolled my eyes before nodding to the King’s Demonic sister, Sophia Draven, who looked as if she had just finished shooting pictures for some bullshit magazine that most chicks thought men gave a shit about. Ten ways to make your man want to shoot himself in the head for taking him shopping, for starters.

“Your Majesty,” I said, making Sophia smirk before replying in kind,

“Your Majesty.” But then the one I really wanted to see stumbled out of the car, saving herself at the last minute, making Pip say,

“Seriously, you’re the only one not wearing heels and still manage to…”

“Let’s just skip the ‘haha, Toots is so clumsy, even after she turned bad ass once like thirty years ago’ part of this sketch and get past all the royal stuffy crap. Jared, looking as badass as ever and I see the jacket is still going strong,” Keira said, making me laugh, as, well, like I said, she was usually funny as fuck.

“Hey, Doll,” I said, making her roll her eyes and say,

“Don’t give me that ‘Hey Doll’ aren’t I sexy on my bike act, tell me this secret meeting my husband would kill me over is not about what I think it’s about.” I nodded to his sister and said,

“And bringing his blood is going to ensure that secrecy, is it?”

“Hey, don’t you know who we are?” Pip said, standing taller, folding her arms and sticking her little sugar covered tits out, that thanks to the madness of her outfit, didn’t leave much to the imagination.

“Oh no, she’s gonna do it, isn’t she?” Keira muttered, making Sophia pinch the top of her nose, close her eyes and say,

“Yep, she really is.”

“We are the Boobateers to our leader Titanian and where she goes, we go, whether it be into battle or across the vast expanse of space and time, we forge into the fray and…!”

“Okay Pip, I think he gets it, best buds and all.” Keira thankfully saved us a larger slice of crazy and quite honestly, had I been here under other circumstances, I would be laughing my ass off by now. Shit me, but the Imp was funny.

“What, too much?” she asked, making Keira nod a little while Sophia outright said,

“I keep telling you, Pip, the answer to that question is always yes.”

“But Adam always tells me that more is better,” she said with a pout, and I swear I almost muttered, ‘poor bastard’. But then Sophia quickly pointed out,

“It doesn’t count when you’re on your knees in front of him giving him a blow…”

“Okay, okay, that’s quite enough of that mental picture none of us asked for… can we please get back to the matter at hand?” Keira said, now stepping in front of her girl posse after making Orthrus and the rest of my men burst out laughing. And like I said, if I hadn’t been here for more important reasons, I would have been with them in thinking this was highly amusing. But as it stood, I agreed with Keira.

“Point is, Beast Boy, that my sister here comes first, and like my girl Pip said, we’ve been through more together than to let her come here alone… brother or not,” Sophia added, making me lay it out for her myself.

“First off, it’s Beastman and second, as for Keira here, well you’re not the only one who has been through a lot together, isn’t that right Dollface?” At this Keira released a sigh and told me,

“Truth is, they were bored and that battle in Hell was months ago, so my meeting with you beat trying to hide from Pip when trying to convince us to play strip UNO and how it would change our lives.” At this Pip scoffed and said,

“But it was the Avengers edition!” I wanted to laugh when Sophia mouthed,

‘And?’

“Like I said, coming here was the better option… so come on, out with it, Jared,” Keira pressed, just as Pip grumbled,

“…and I had only licked the Captain America cards twice.” Naturally, I ignored this despite wanting to laugh at the frown Keira shot Pip over her shoulder, making her shrug and mouth in return,

‘What?’

“Cutting through all the bullshit, here it is… I want Ella and I’ve come to collect,” I stated, unable to stop myself from folding my arms, making me notice the way Pip eyed me like one of her candy pieces while licking her lips… crazy chick.

“Wow, he doesn’t dick around, does he?” Sophia commented, coming to stand next to Keira with her own arms folded, just when Pip did the same on the other side after realizing this was her cue to copy. My brother chuckled.

“Nope, and if it’s left up to us, then he ain’t doing dick with his dick when it comes to our little, Elle Belly,” Pip finished with a pop of her pink gum and without taking her gaze from me, held her fist out in front of Keira so that Sophia could bump it with her own without skipping a beat. Meanwhile, Keira didn’t bat an eyelash at this but just continued to fold her own arms and stare at me.

“You know this is not exactly what I had in mind when you told me I would owe you one day,” Keira said, making me shrug my shoulders and admit,

“You’re not the only one but it is what it is, and you standing here being pissed at me doesn’t change facts.”

“And what fact is that, exactly?” she asked.

“Yeah, home boy… what, too much again…? But I am wearing the hat and everything,” she said, referring to the trucker style cap she wore backwards.

“Your hat says, ‘I pee in pools’ and you’re wearing a candy necklace with chocolate coins attached, so not exactly giving off the gangster vibes, Pip,” Sophia commented, making Keira step forward, ignoring the comedy act behind her so she could ask,

“You were saying something about facts.”

“She’s my Chosen One, Keira.” At this she released a deep sigh and then looked to my brother.

“Is he for real here, because gotta say, I have heard differently?” At this I felt that furious tick in my jaw, knowing just who had said this and hating that I had been the root of that lie.

“He shits you not, Blondie, they belong together,” Orth answered without even needing a second to think about it. But then again, this wasn’t exactly surprising since he had been trying to get me and Ella together all this time. I think his daily words had been, ‘why you dickin’ around, brother’? I swear I was ready to get him a fucking T-Shirt with that shit written on. As for Keira, she released another sigh and said,

“She said you claimed her by mistake.” At this I tensed, hating the fucking words but needing to explain them all the same.

“She’s wrong,” I gritted out.

“And about loving another, she wrong about that too, Jared?” she asked, coming right out and saying it, making even my brother suck in air through his teeth. As for me, I felt like wrapping my bike around the nearest tree just to kill some rage that fucking question ignited within me. Then, after closing my eyes and urging my Beast to calm the fuck down, I forced out the next words needed.

“Said it once and will say it again… she’s wrong.” Keira narrowed her gaze at me for a few seconds, as if trying to gauge the truth of my words.

“If that’s the case, then help me out here, as I may not be a supernatural by birth, Jared, but even I have a general gist of how it all works, so explain to me exactly how she would think it was by mistake?” I took another calming breath, knowing I needed patience here and after looking off to the side for a heartbeat, I told her,

“I take it she didn’t tell you I saved her life.”

“From the guys who tried to snatch her in Germany and after an attack on the stage, yeah she did,” Keira said, making me tense as Ella’s lies came to light.

“The guys in Germany, yeah, that one she got right… as for the stage… hate to tell you this, Doll, but no, that one was from herself.” I informed her, making all three of them react, with Keira gasping the loudest. Hence, why at this point I nodded off to one side so we could have a more private conversation, something she allowed to happen.

“Look, you want the truth, then here it is. Amelia contacted me to do a job, to take her cousin back to Devil’s and protect her there from a threat. One I was made aware of at the battle of the Blood Wars. Which meant Amelia also knew that I already had her on my radar,” I told her, making her frown before asking why.

“Let’s just say that the first time I saw her, she made an impact, and at the time I couldn’t understand it and ignored it for too fucking long. After the battle, I couldn’t ignore it anymore,” I admitted. The dreams of her only intensified after that and well, after the attack in the woods, then shit me, I was already halfway obsessed with the girl!

“You went to her after the battle?” she asked.

“Yeah, but realized the pull she had on me, so soon walked away… but not without putting some guys on her,” I admitted.

“So, you weren’t shocked when you got the call from Fae,” she surmised, speaking to herself.

“No, as I was ready to bring her in, but her cousin got there first so I simply played along,” I said, admitting even more, knowing I would have to if I was going to get her to agree to my plans.

“Why?” she asked again and fuck, but it reminded me of the old days, as the chick used to question fucking everything, even back then when she was scared shitless of me.

“I didn’t want the girl to know I cared the way I did, okay,” I all but barked out.

“Okay, fine, I get that, lived it even,” she admitted, making me do the same.

“I remember, Doll, and if I recall, I was the mug that got roped into taking you to Hell.”

“Mug, oh you’re much more of a pint glass to me… maybe even one of those metal tankards,” Pip said, making me smirk before winking at her and making her giggle like some loved up teenager.

“Yeah, and all thanks to the dick years my brother lived through,” Sophia commented dryly, and Keira grinned back at her and said,

“I think he paid for his insanity, Honey.” Then she turned her attention back to me and asked what I gather to most would be the most obvious question,

“But if she is your Chosen One, then why not make your move years ago? Because no offence, Jared, but you don’t strike me as the self-sacrificing type to not just take what you want.” I shrugged at this as she clocked me.

“The truth.”

“Preferably,” she replied.

“I didn’t know who she was to me until I claimed her when saving her life.”

She frowned at this, giving me no choice but to go on and explain the trail of events that led to this point. Needless to say, the past two weeks was a slimmed down version showcasing my idiocy for not seeing the signs of who she was to me sooner. This recap also had my brother muttering,

“Idiot.” Naturally, I shot him a scowl he ignored just as Keira spoke her own mind.

“I see.” This came first after the painful account was done and well, the captured tears in her eyes were testament to how hard it had been to hear.

“So, basically, she thinks you made a mistake and that you love another.” I felt every muscle tense at this before forcing the next words out after unlocking my jaw.

“Yeah, but like I said, she’s wrong, Keira.”

“But not wrong in her feelings, Jared, you have to understand that. Words… your words, they are going to stay there and fester. They are going to tear her up inside and grow until you stick around long enough to tear out the roots of the doubt you planted there,” Keira told me, making me point out,

“And that, Doll, is where you come into it, as for me to be around long enough, I am going to have to be allowed the freedom to complete the claim I started.”

“Oh, and we all know what that means… hubba hubba.” At this Pip beeped Orth’s horn after walking her fingers along the handle bars of his Special Edition Triumph Rocket 3 R 221 after he failed at trying to get her to stop playing with his bike.

“Blondie, do me a kindness and please ask your girl here to behave.” At this Keira snorted a laugh and said,

“Thirty years, Orth, and I’m still trying to figure that out.” At this Sophia looked his way and said,

“I have known her since the 2nd of September 1603 and never known her to behave even once, so sorry, HellBeast, but you’re screwed.” At this Pip swaggered her ass back to her posse after blowing a kiss my brother’s way, winking at him.

“Great, now I’m definitely a dead man… do me a favour, sweetheart, don’t tell your husband you’ve been flirty with me, as I kinda like my head where it is.” At this she laughed and said,

“Show me your muscles and I will think about it, you handsome tall dark glass of hot chocolate.” At this my brother shot me a frightened look, making me laugh.

“Pip, behave and stop scaring the locals,” Keira said, making Pip mouth,

‘My bad’ then she turned to Orth and lifted up her arm as if showing off her own skinny arms where muscle didn’t look like they had ever lived. My brother rolled his eyes but obliged anyway thinking it was safer that way.

“Whitawoo! Check out the guns, ladies!” Pip shouted, clapping and jumping up and down when he shrugged his jacket off and showed her his biceps tensing. Then the cute little sweet bag of colour pretended to shoot guns up in the air like some kid pretending to be a cowboy, making Orth shake his head and chuckle.

“Right so, while your brother is keeping her entertained, can we get back to what you’re asking me to do here exactly? I have a feeling it’s something that’s really gonna piss off my husband,” Keira said, getting back to the whole point of this meeting, making me thankful she was keeping shit on track.

“I have a feeling it will be obvious should I turn up at your club tonight and quickly find myself in chains after Ella denies the claim,” I stated bluntly.

“You think she will?” she asked with wide eyes.

“I’m not exactly the type to live in hope here, Keira, or I wouldn’t be having this conversation now.” She raised a brow at my reply and said wryly,

“Oh, so it’s just a conversation, is it?”

“You know it’s not,” I answered, cutting through any bullshit like I always did.

“So, I’m your back up plan, is that what you’re saying?” Again there she was, needing shit clarified.

“Yeah, Doll, that’s what I’m saying, and knowing the shit you three have pulled in the past, then I would say I am in good hands.” At this Sophia smirked and I swear she was seconds away from turning into her Demon and rubbing her hands together like a child about to cause delicious mischief.

“And if I do this, this debt of mine…” she left that sentence open for my swift reply.

“Paid in full,” I finished for her.

“Well, lucky for you I know Ella was heartbroken, which means she liked you enough to give you her heart in the first place and well, that gives me hope you have the power to mend it again,” she confessed.

Her words weren’t without hitting their mark as I inwardly winced at the idea of being the one to break anything of Ella’s, let alone her heart. But then I wasn’t stupid, as I knew that most of what Ella had hurled at me today was because of how much I had hurt her. And well, for that hurt to happen it first had to be bred from how deeply you gave your heart to someone. Say like a HellBeast King blinded by the past and hanging on to the words of the Fates like it was some fucking law to falling in love.

So yeah, maybe I was stupid after all.

“Just asking for a chance to do just that, Doll,” I replied, referring back to how all I needed was that opportunity to unbreak her heart. A gift I had been too blind to reach out and accept.

“’Cause you know you can’t just club us Fated over the head and drag us back to your cave,” Keira pointed out, making me open my mouth to respond when it was no surprise who got there before I did.

“Erm, about that,” Pip said, making Keira rephrase quickly.

“Except for Pip, because yeah, apparently when you’re Hell’s most feared monster you can totally get away with that.”

“Aww, I miss those days… although not the Mongolian death worms I had to eat, as no amount of an imagination would make those things taste like tacos,” she replied, making me chuckle, something that continued when Sophia pointed out,

“Tacos weren’t even a thing back then.”

“Not like candied mice tho’, eh Toots?” At this Keira shot Pip a scathing look as Sophia sniggered.

“I thought we agreed you would never ever… ever, go there, Pip, which means no sweets shaped like mice on our pillow,” Keira said in her sternest tone yet and I had to say, she and the King sounded like they had their hands full with this one in their lives, that was for damn sure. Gods, but I wondered what it would be like if ever Marcus and Pip ended up in the same room together. Fuck, but it was close to being a terrifying thought, or at least one guaranteed to give me a fucking headache.

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Man, the King was pissed when he thought you would have to cut that jelly sweet out of his hair… I mean, who doesn’t check their pillow for candy before bed?” Pip replied, this time snapping the deadly point she had sucked the candy cane into and making a racket crunching it between her teeth.

“Most people, Pip, like we keep telling you,” Keira muttered, making Sophia grin.

“Well, as entertaining as this is, you have limited time to put whatever plan you have in place, because once I’m finished here, I will be going to get my girl,” I informed them, now mounting my bike and signalling the end to this strange ass meeting of ours.

“Okay, but one question I’m dying to know,” Keira said, coming closer and stopping me from firing up my Harley.

“Which is?”

“What was my sister’s face like when you turned up on their doorstep?” I laughed at this, leaned in and said with a smirk,

“She took one look at my muscles and is now planning our wedding.” She threw her head back and snorted out her laugh before asking,

“Oh my God, priceless! And what about Frank?” At this I gave her my answer with a knowing grin and a wink, for Ella was in for a shock. Something Keira knew the second I told her…

“He invited me to dinner.”

18

IT’S A FAMILY THING

I had to say that after this meeting with Keira and her posse, it gave me more hope that this would swing my way, despite how weird parts of it had been. But then that was mainly down to the infamous little Imp, known for being as naughty as she was quirky. I swear I almost felt sorry for Adam as Gods only knew how he handled that shit daily. Although, he clearly adored the bundle of cute and colourful he had claimed, and it was like Orth had said once they had driven away…

“Fuck me, but I don’t know whether sex with that crazy chick would terrify me or be the best I’ve ever had.” I grinned at that before reminding him,

“More like a sure way to get you dead, so I would pick the first.”

“Yeah, but what a way to go,” he joked, sighing, making me chuckle before starting the metal beast beneath me, fully intent on getting back to the only girl I ever wanted in my bed. Something I admittedly had more chance at doing now after that meeting.

As for Keira, she had agreed to honour her debt and I had little doubt that she would come through on her end of the bargain. Besides, she could handle her husband like no other, just as I suspected Ella would soon be able to claim the same for me. But then I had to be honest, I was staying away from the named title of wife for the moment, as that was too raw and painful right now. Because during this whole time since claiming Ella, I hadn’t allowed myself the time to process what else this meant.

A final goodbye to a memory I had clung onto for so long.

A memory of her.

My Lerna.

So, I shook this thought from my mind, casting it as far as I could as now wasn’t the time for dredging up painful pasts, when it was only a happy future I wanted to focus on. A future held in the hands of a curly redhead that unknowingly claimed my heart at only the tender age of eighteen.

Gods, but I had been an idiot.

I wanted to go back and kick my ass at all the years I had missed out on. The joy and laughter and feel of her lying next to me in my bed. All of it had affected me in such a profound way, it had become the only thing I had looked forward to at the end of my nights as King. I hadn’t been lying when I told Ella how she was buried deep within the very core of me, my heart, my soul and every piece of me in between. She had crept her way in there from the start until the very idea of losing her had sent my HellBeast into a blinding rage. One ready to wage war on the very Fates themselves and more than ready to face the wrath of every fucking King out there.

I couldn’t have let her die.

Because in that moment, we had both known that we didn’t want to live in a world without her. That the second we found her gone, we had been ready to tear the whole world apart to find her! And all of it she believed was just some big mistake. Some fucked up sense of duty on my part that she had forced me into. And now all that was left for her was guilt and this warped belief that she could somehow rectify it all. That she could find a way to take it back and break the claim. It was fucked. But more than that…

It was not fucking happening!

Not that I had been lying when I told her this as let’s just say that when a King found his Chosen, it wasn’t like the dumb fucker ever tried to undo the claim. Oh, we had been foolish enough to think we could fight against it, just like Lucius had… just like I had. But after actually claiming them, then fuck no. I just didn’t think it was something a King had the power to do. To actually sever that connection, that bond… no, now I couldn’t fucking imagine it possible, and I had only half claimed Ella.

So how the fuck Dominic Draven had even had the strength of will

to walk away from Keira that day was beyond me, but even then, he hadn’t once tried to sever the union completely. Just another King fucked over by the Fates. I swear but there was some fucking puppet master running the Fated show and laughing his ass off at our expense. As he sat there, with his fingers attached to thousands of strings, yanking at them and watching as each of us drop to our fucking knees, begging the Gods for our Chosen Ones to survive the life that being claimed to us meant for them.

Just thinking back to my own Fate and I nearly fucking winced when going back over that conversation with my brother. The fucking horror I felt when I realized she had heard it all. I tried to put myself in her shoes. Asking myself what I would have done and how I would have felt hearing her deny me before declaring her love for another. Fuck me, but even now just the thought of her with another man had me near crushing the handlebars in my unforgiving grip.

Oh, I wouldn’t have tried to end myself but there would have been a fucking death alright, just the fucker she had fallen for! Gods, but even hearing how she’d had her heart broken before by some guy had me near crushing the picture frame I’d had in my hand when speaking with her father. Of course, listening to Ella’s conversation with her mother in the kitchen and trying to maintain a normal conversation with Frank had been easy up until that point. Which was why I had forced myself to put the picture of teenage Ella back where proud parents had no doubt placed it years ago, doing so without a crack. But then even when looking at it, how could I be surprised that Ella had been with other guys before me, she was fucking gorgeous.

A Gods be damned Redheaded Goddess!

All that wild hair, those legs and fuck me, but that ass, Gods, I had no fucking hope! But it was her eyes that really got to me. Those large, expressive pale green eyes that lit up with flecks of amber like sun bursts of light. Eyes framed by thick curled lashes that gave her a cute innocence, added to by the single dimple that would wink at me whenever she smiled. Fuck, but even those freckles on her cheeks and cute as fuck nose made me grin. They had me wanting to rub the pad of my thumb across the apple of her cheek, just to check they were stuck there for good and going nowhere.

But all of this natural beauty would have meant nothing if she had been some self-centered bitch whose heart was as cold as that fucked-up soul-sucking Niniane. Thankfully, this couldn’t have been further from Ella’s personality. As Ella was warm hearted, sweet, kind, sexy as all of Hell, even a little goofy at times and well, she was funny as fuck. Shit me, but that weird hiccupping laugh of hers got to me every fucking time!

No wonder I had lost my shit when walking in my room and finding her gone. A single day without her and I had been ready to tear my fucking hair out! I swear when she opened that door and I saw her for the first time since she ran, with barely a day passed between us, I felt as if I could breathe for the very first time since claiming her. But then seeing her looking like some biker’s wet dream and fuck me, I would have taken her against her family home! That was had I not been of right mind and wanted to ruin the profound moment with having a tire iron wrapped around my head.

By the Gods, I swear I’d seen nothing fucking hotter in my entire life and hadn’t lied when I told her that I would start breaking my shit just for the chance at seeing her dressed that way again. Even the smears of oil on her cheeks and dirt blackening her fingers made me want to fucking howl! Half of me wished I would turn up at her door now and find her still dressed this way just for the excuse to recreate that moment in her dad’s garage. Shit, but I wanted her to paint my body with that same oil on her fingers and stain my skin with every trail of her touch.

Hence why I was grinning the moment I pulled up their gravel drive and looked to that side of the house seeing the doors firmly locked up. Had she done this and tried to make a point I wondered. She was fucking funny enough to. As, fuck, just hearing that smart mouth of hers once more had me looking forward to the future and the daily verbal war of wits I had in store for me to battle.

I kicked out the blacked out stand and leaned the bike over to rest onto it. I then flicked off the Milwaukee 8 Engine, bringing an end to its thunderous rumble as the Vanes & Hines pipes fell silent. Then I swung my leg over, as always admiring the way the custom paint job shone in the sun, looking as though it had just been dipped in the liquid. It was a deep crimson colour with darker red flames framing either side of the tank, and my HellBeast sigil raised in the centre with black matt metal that matched the rest of the blacked-out chrome.

It was kick ass and one I kept in my collection here as I enjoyed the open roads the US offered when I was visiting. The only change I had made had been for Ella’s benefit, something I couldn’t wait to tease her about. Hence why I smirked down at the helmet I had hooked on to the back of where she would ride pillion. Something I had asked Orth to pick up for me and I had to say, I couldn’t help but fucking love him for going the extra mile when calling me on the way back from Ella’s house. He had only one question,

‘Got our guy here ready to personalize that shit, what do you want on it?’

The reason I was now grinning down as I swiped a thumb over the words written there in colours that matched my bike. It was fucking perfect, just like she was…

‘Jared’s Wild One’

I swear, but I even found myself excited at the chance to finally get her on the back of my bike, something I confess to have wanted since my little dancer girl broke into my life. Just looking down at it now and I could almost see her there, ready to swing her leg over, making me now almost regret saying yes when her father invited me for dinner.

In fact, I was still imagining it as I opened up the side panier and took out the six pack of beer I had picked up. This and the bottle of wine for her mother, as thankfully Keira being mortal herself at one time, knew enough of her family to convince me that this was the ‘done’ thing.

So, I tucked the wine under my arm, and I reached up, knocking on the door, smoothing a hand over the top of my hair having already tied it back from my face, as I usually did when riding. Then, before I could knock a second time, I heard her father’s voice.

“Wild child, get your butt down here and answer the door to your man!”

“He’s not my man!” she shouted in return, making me chuckle to myself before she opened the door. Then she looked me up and down, taking in her fill and noticing that I had showered and changed my clothes since seeing her earlier. I was glad for this as it gave me the chance to do the same, happy to see her in jeans and heeled boots that would work well with being on the bike. Her tight top however was distracting, as it looked to have been an old favourite and one not worn in a while. As let’s just say that she had obviously filled out since the last time, that or fuck me it should have come with a fucking warning! It was so tight across her breasts I almost believed she had done this to punish me. Along with the skull and engine design in a faded grey across that perfect chest, with the words,

‘Gearhead Girls Rule’

“Nice Tee, Red,” I commented before she simply stuck her head back inside and shouted,

“Dad, supermarket delivery is here with your beer!” Then when she tried to close the door on me, I put my foot in the way, grabbed her belt and yanked her to me.

“Nice try, Sweetheart, but it will take a lot more than a closed door to get rid of me,” I told her, grinning when I didn’t miss the breathy sigh she let slip through her icy facade.

“How about bad breath, hairy legs and a foot fungus?” she asked, making me throw my head back and laugh, gripping her tighter.

“HellBeast, love, we really aren’t that picky,” I teased.

“Does that mean you have a foot fungus too?” she teased right back, making me smirk.

“Behave pet.”

“You know, you say that a lot… are you really sure you want to…” I stopped her then by kissing her quiet, taking her off guard enough that she let me. Or perhaps it was because she was my Chosen One and her heart and body knew that, despite her mind wanting to fight against it right now.

“Yes, I am fucking certain… now invite me inside, Ella.” I almost growled this demand down at her, loving the way I could make her gaze soften like that and at the same time her body leaned into me, as if without her even realizing it.

But then I hadn’t been blind these last few weeks, as I knew Ella had felt something for me while in my club. I knew I had been the foolish one by keeping her at arm’s length, when she had been the one ready to give me everything. Well, Karma was a bitch and now I was paying for my mistakes as I knew Ella was not going to make this easy for me. And really, why should she? I deserved every second of her stubborn nature, along with every hoop she wanted me to jump through… I would jump through them all.

That being said, she wasn’t exactly pushing me off her every time I kissed her either. In fact, other than the heated argument we’d had in her room, she had barely fought me at all. So, despite what I had told Keira, maybe I was living with a little hope after all.

“What erm… did you say?” she asked in a breathless way that had me grinning like a fucking idiot.

“Inside, baby,” I hummed against her cheek, making her shiver against me, and I just wished I didn’t have a bottle of wine under my arm or a six pack in my hand so I was free to wrap both arms around her.

“But I thought we were…”

“Ah, Jared, nice to see we didn’t scare you away… Ella, what are you doing? Take the bottle from him before he drops it,” her mum said, after opening the door fully and finding her daughter standing there a bit flustered. Besides, what exactly her mother thought I would find scary in this picture postcard mortal family of hers, I had no clue.

No, I actually found myself enjoying the mortal experience as her father, although frosty at first, was what I could tell at heart a sound guy and a man who cared deeply for his wife and daughter. A man I most definitely respected for that alone. Although, I also confessed to finding all I could about her family, even back when I knew I shouldn’t have for I had little reason to do so. None really, other than an unhealthy obsession with a human girl found in my club and was trying to hide the fact from everyone.

I did discover that Frank owned a security business that had branched out from hiring out his guys to where they were needed, to training them and also fitting out state of the art security systems. As for her mother, she had been an interior designer but about ten years ago left the firm she worked for to branch out on her own. Something that granted her enough success to semi retire, now only taking on a few clients a year. Of course, her skills and eye for detail weren’t something that surprised me considering their house was stylishly homely and immaculate. In fact, the only room out of place belonged to their ‘Wild Child’.

I swear I nearly needed to place a fist in my mouth to stop myself from laughing the second I saw it. It looked as if it hadn’t been changed since she was barely in double digits, for a ten-year-old could have come skipping out of there and I wouldn’t have been surprised. The obsession with wolves also hadn’t shocked me, as I remembered hints of this from her trailer, her quirky Pjs included. It therefore wasn’t surprising knowing her choice of career, making me wonder yet again how she would feel without it?

But most of all, would she resent me should I take this part of her life from her?

“I see you brought the beers, good man,” her father said, taking them from me and slapping me on the back hard enough I think he was testing me to see if the action forced me to take a step forward. However, when I didn’t move a muscle from the hit, he raised a brow in silent respect, obviously glad I was strong enough to take care of his daughter, because clearly, most fathers felt this way.

As for me, if I had a daughter, I would be trying to tear suiters limb from limb, with the survivor having the mere slightest chance. Fuck me, but where the fuck did that thought just come from?! And why couldn’t I now get the sight of Ella all cute and round with a swollen belly from my child growing inside her.

Fuck!

“You want one, Jared?” Thankfully this question jarred me enough to leave behind the secret dream now taking root in my heart.

“Call me J, most people do, and just the one, thanks,” I said, nodding over my shoulder towards the window, so he knew why. Then he grinned and said,

“Must admit, J, likin’ you more and more for my girl.” I grinned at that, making Ella groan and say,

“Just adopt him, Dad, that way you can call him son for real.”

“Or you could get married, as that would work too,” her mum said, making Ella snap her head to look at her and say,

“Mom!” making me chuckle when she blushed.

“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.” At this Ella shot her mum another look and said,

“Erm… am I missing something?” I decided to exaggerate this by making a show of shrugging out of my leather jacket and hanging it next to Ella’s on the hooks by the front door.

“Your father invited him to stay for dinner… didn’t he mention it?” she asked sheepishly, grinning over her wine glass at her husband.

“No, must have slipped his mind,” she said, gritting her teeth, making me want to laugh.

“So, when you say it will be ready, what you actually mean is that it will be delivered soon… right?” Ella asked, and after what she had told me about her mum’s cooking, again I was forced to stifle a laugh.

“Ella! Seriously, you could at least pretend here… right, for that you can go set the table,” her mum scolded playfully.

“And let me guess, with the good China, right, Mom?” she replied, and I had to say, getting to watch my girl converse in her family dynamic was entertaining to say the least. At this her mum winked at her, making Ella laugh. But then as she turned to go and play the good daughter, I placed my beer down on the coffee table and said,

“I will help.”

“Oh, such a gentleman,” her mum commented, and I didn’t miss the way Ella muttered under her breath when she was far enough away,

“Wouldn’t have said that a few hours ago when he had his hand down your daughter’s pants.” I quickly caught up to her, put a hand to her belly, pulled her hard against me, and growled in her ear,

“Just wait until I get you alone again.”

“Yeah, and why is that?” she asked after a gasp, making me grin before whispering tenderly at her this time,

“So you can soon see just how…”

“…gentle this man can be with your heart.”

19

AWKWARD CRUSHES

ELLA

“I swear I am starting to think you have a multiple personality disorder,” I said, after closing my eyes and letting his tender words wash over me like a soothing balm, trying to erase the argument we had earlier. Of course, the other half of me was also still trying to play it cool, despite my breathy sighs he kept drawing out of me, telling him the ice never had the time to even form around my heart.

“You make me crazy,” he groaned in my neck, still standing behind me and holding me close. I swear his words vibrated down my spine and I had to suppress the urge to shudder against him. I didn’t want him to know the effect he had on me, even though I was pretty sure that was another ship that had sailed long ago. Hell, it was already on the other side of the world by now!

“I’m sorry we fought,” he said, finally making me relax back into him, silently accepting his apology.

“Well, I know a way for you to be able to make it up to me,” I said, making him walk to the front of me before raising my face up to look at him. Then he started to stroke the pad of his thumb over the apple of my cheek, smiling to himself as if playing out secret thoughts in his mind.

“And what’s that, Red?” he asked when I hadn’t yet followed up that sentence with anything more.

“First, how fast can you set the table and second, how long can you go without speaking during dinner?” At this he grinned big down at me and unfortunately it was as handsome as it was mischievous. Then he leaned down slightly and said,

“One out of two is better than nothing.” Then he winked at me before taking my hand and saying,

“Now quick, where is this good China?” I couldn’t help it, but I giggled at this, which as usual made him smirk seeing as it was a series of hehehehehe after the first hiccupping sound.

After this we set the table and I had to say, it was a bit surreal having Jared here in my house, acting like my boyfriend. I was almost certain it was also the most real, mortal experience he had ever had since becoming a HellBeast King. Especially when the takeaway arrived, and we were all soon sitting around the table eating Chinese food.

“It’s a shame you only just arrived, Ella. You missed your uncle Justin last night,” my mom said after reaching for a dumpling.

“Yeah, Auntie Kaz told me,” I replied, trying purposely not to think back to how I really found that out and how close I had come to seeing a lot more of my aunt and uncle than any niece ever should.

“It was funny still seeing your Uncle Dom getting jealous over Kazzy when all my brother does is hug her hello,” my dad said, making Jared smirk.

“Yes, well, your brother doesn’t help himself when he openly flirts with her… I swear, he has a death wish,” my mom said, making me think that she was right, as my uncle was one scary dude, even without the whole Supernatural Overlord thing he has going on.

“I remember when my sister, Ella’s Aunt, first came to live with us back in her early twenties, she got a job as a waitress at this nightclub he owns and well that was it, the town’s mysterious bachelor was smitten,” my mom said, like Jared wouldn’t know who any of them were, when he most likely knew more about them than even my parents did. However, if I thought Jared would play along, I was wrong.

“I know them both well and remember when they met.” At this he messed up as my mom looked at him and laughed,

“I doubt that as you wouldn’t have been born then as surely you can’t be much older than Ella.”

“I’m sorry, I meant I remembered hearing about it. I’ve worked with Dom a few times and he always speaks of those times fondly,” Jared said saving himself, however I knew my dad and could see the way he was taking everything in. But then, he did that. Silently watched while he absorbed the information, filing it away until it was needed. It also made him really hard to argue against, as he was all about the facts.

“Oh, is that how you both met?” my mom asked, and this would make sense.

“We first met at my club in London, I believe Ella was there on a school trip at the time,” he said, making me knee him under the table, trying to get him to stop telling the truth. However, it was too late as my mom started to put two and two together and answered,

“Ah… oh… oh I see.” This was about as subtle as if the food had started walking off the table trying to get away from the next awkward conversation. Of course, my mom also ignored my not so subtle hint of shaking my head at her, something Jared didn’t miss.

“Ella told me you have a bar, which must have been for a long time if you first met when Ella was only eighteen,” she said, knowing now just who my first ‘heartbreaker’ was.

“It was passed down to me and is a bar in London with an elite club beneath,” he said, making me knee him harder this time… again he ignored this obvious hint to shut up by taking hold of my leg and squeezing my thigh.

“An elite club… how did Ella…?” Jared laughed and said,

“I hate to be the one to tell you this…”

“Then don’t,” I muttered under my breath, making him smirk and carry on regardless.

“But she snuck in, which was how we first met.”

“Ella!” my mom shouted, making me groan before saying,

“Thanks for that.” My dad however boomed with laughter.

“That’s our Ella, I swear that kid could break out of anything and sneak into just as many… oh, and she never stayed still… remember her getting out of the house when she was five and finding her stuck up that tree along the path… swear her mom nearly had a fit, yet there was our wild one, sitting happily up there waiting for the wolves to come out,” my dad said, making me drop my head to my hands and groan,

“Oh God, please not the childhood stories.”

“Oh, I remember, think I have that picture around here…” my mom said, nearly getting out of her chair, making me freak.

“MOM!” I shouted, but she just laughed and said,

“Just kidding… that’s for next time,” she added, winking at Jared and making him laugh.

“So, how did you two reconnect, as I gather it didn’t go well the first time round?” my mom asked, pushing for more and making me reach down to the hand still gripping my leg and squeeze it hard enough that if it had been anyone else, bones would have cracked. But yet again, my silent plea not to speak went on being ignored.

“I stupidly let her go the first time and vowed if ever I got the opportunity to meet her for a second, I wouldn’t be so foolish.”

“Aww,” my mom said and I had to admit, it was nice to hear that, making me wonder now if this was his first real lie of the night or a version of the truth like he had been doing since stepping foot through the door. I know which one I hoped for.

Which one I would have prayed for.

But because the moment was getting too much for me and my dad could tell, he said,

“Hey kid, pass the last roll.” At this I smirked, grabbed the bowl and said,

“No way, you know the rules… guests get the last duck spring roll.” Then I picked it up and brought it to my lips, but before it made it there, Jared grabbed my wrist at the same time swinging it his way and took a big bite. Then with his mouth full he said,

“What…? I’m the Guest.” At this we all burst out laughing. But then my parents didn’t miss the way he rolled the three he had left on his plate on to mine, doing so with only a wink as he continued his conversation. Which was basically getting interrogated by my mom about everything in his life that he couldn’t really talk about. Although, the moment my mom asked the innocent question of origins, I couldn’t help but tense up… and Jared felt it.

“I was born in West Wickham,” he told them.

“And your folks, do they still live there?” My dad asked, making me wish I had a reason to stop this conversation without it looking weird.

“Come on, guys, I think Jared is all questioned out by now,” I tried, making him take my hand in his and tell me,

“It’s fine, Ella… I’m afraid my parents passed a long time ago.” At this my mom gasped, covering her mouth a little before telling him with compassion,

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Jared.”

“I appreciate that, Libby. It’s no one’s fault but only what Fate threw their way,” he replied, making me sigh, squeezing his fingers that were still curled around my hand, making him do the same in silent return.

“Any siblings?” my dad asked, making Jared grin, and there was nothing unnatural about it.

“I have a younger brother, although you wouldn’t think it to look at him.” At this I chuckled before I added,

“He’s a big guy.”

“Didn’t think they made ‘em much bigger than you, son,” my dad said, making Jared smirk.

“Do you see much of him?” my mom asked after pushing her plate aside and taking her wine glass in hand.

“Ha, yeah too much at that,” he replied, before telling them, “We run the club together.”

“And let me guess, another biker?” my dad predicted.

“Guilty as charged, speaking of which, I would really like to take Ella for a ride after dinner, as she is yet to experience it.” My dad laughed and said,

“I’m surprised it wasn’t the first thing she asked for when finding out you had a bike.” I tensed at this and started to silently pray like never before, having a bad feeling I knew what was coming next.

And yep, here it was…

“Yeah, we had a hell of a job trying to change her mind when she was younger.” I rolled my eyes at this and said,

“He doesn’t need to know this, Mom.” Of course, I was ignored, especially when Jared said,

“I don’t understand, change her mind about what?”

“Oh, you don’t know, surprised she never mentioned it,” my dad said with a chuckle. At this I sighed and got up, telling them,

“I’m clearing the table,” because I didn’t want to sit here while Jared discovered for himself why I once wanted to be a biker chick. Which was why when walking away, I heard my mom say,

“Frank nearly freaked when she came back from her Aunt’s house after seeing a bunch of bikers turn up there telling us how she wanted to be a biker as soon as she was old enough.” Of course, knowing what I knew now, then it wouldn’t take Jared any time at all to realise exactly who it was I had seen rolling up that day when I was only fifteen. But then, even when I was eighteen, I still hadn’t realized it had been him I had started obsessing about.

“I see the truck won her round,” Jared said, giving nothing away but they didn’t know him like I did. He wouldn’t have missed it, no matter how hard I wished for it.

“Damn straight,” my dad said, and after this I lost what was said next, however going back in there to gather more dishes, I nearly freaked myself when hearing my mom.

“…I swear I knew then she would end up with a biker, I think that was her first crush, had her on to my sister the second she got home asking who the guy with long hair was.”

“Mom!” I shouted, making Jared look to me and in that very second, he knew… he knew… it was him.

“Oh, he doesn’t mind, besides what was he at the time… couldn’t have been much older than you somewhere in the world… but wait, oh, it’s been driving me crazy as I have felt like I recognized you from somewhere… but wait, that’s not…” my dad trailed off and I started to panic, as none of us had considered that my parents might have seen Jared somewhere before, like say…

At my aunt’s wedding.

Shit, shit, shit!

However, before I could break down and confess all, Jared started chuckling before saying,

“I get that a lot with anyone who ever met my dad before, they say I look the spitting image of him. That’s how I know Dom, my dad and him were good friends.” At this my mouth dropped as I openly played the shittiest part of this lie.

“Oh, but that explains it, Frank… I swear we were both trying to figure it out and going crazy,” my mom said laughing, before getting up and clearing the plates with me, making me release a breath firmly labelled relief. But then, once in the kitchen, my mom had an insane realization, grabbing my arm and whispering the horror and shameful thought. One that I knew Jared was really going to get a kick out of, because I knew he would have heard everything.

“What if that crush of yours… oh dear…”

“Don’t say it, Mom… God, please, just don’t say it,” I said shaking my head but of course,

She said it anyway…

“Your first crush was his dad.”

20

BIKER CHICK DREAMS

As soon as my mom said this, I wanted the world to literally open up and swallow me whole. Because thanks to my mom’s not so subtle reaction, he had no doubt gathered by now that he was in fact my first heartbreak. But if that wasn’t bad enough, then for him to now know that he was my first crush years before and the reason I wanted to become a biker chick, was adding even more humiliation on top of the shame mountain I was already stuck on.

Jesus, but how was I ever to face him now!?

But face him was precisely what I had no choice to do, especially as my mom suddenly jarred me out of my inner panic by thrusting a shop-bought dessert into my arms.

“Hey, don’t worry… it can be our little secret,” my mom said with a wink before taking the bowls into the dining room, making me mutter,

“That ship didn’t just sail, it sank like the freakin’ Titanic.” Of course, this was another thing Jared had heard as his grin said it all the second I sat back down next to him. Which soon became something else I wished I hadn’t done, especially when the next awkward as fuck conversation started up with my mom asking,

“So, tell me, how have you guys found long distance dating? I bet you hardly see each other.” At this I started coughing and for the second time today, found myself reaching out for a beer, near chugging it down.

“Ella, my god, I swear I brought you up as a lady, so would appreciate you proving me right once in a while,” my mom admonished as I put it down, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and said,

“He’s a biker and we met in his bar, Mom… what did you think I did there, order a martini and ask him for an extra olive.” At this my dad burst out laughing while Jared smirked at me. However, my mom just rolled her eyes as she sliced into the chocolate cream pie, now handing out a slice for each of us. As for Jared, he gave me a nudge after taking his plate and teased quietly,

“Oh look, Ella, American pastry.”

“I know right, I swear my two don’t even know what good pastry is. There’s no such thing here as a Cornish pasty,” my mom said, getting in on the action.

“That’s why I took Ella to Greggs when she was last in London,” Jared replied, making me groan the second my parents’ eyes widened, this before giving me one of their famous disapproving parent stares.

“I swear, Miss Carrie Ella, do you even tell your parents anything these days?” Jared gave me a guilty look, knowing he had dropped me in it again as I opened my mouth to try and defend myself, when thankfully my dad saved the day.

“Come on, Libs, I think it’s obvious Ella didn’t want to tell us anything about her relationship until she was certain it was going somewhere and well, here he is. So, I think that answers the question of them making the long-distance thing work.” At this he tipped his beer our way before taking a swig and the second my mom started eating, I mouthed a quick, ‘thank you’ at my dad, and Jared nodded his own thanks.

“Well, I am glad, as I know I speak for both of us, Jared, when I say, welcome to the family.” At this he looked unbelievably touched and after clearing his throat, he held up his beer to my parents, at the same time taking my hand in his.

“Thank you, it’s an honour to finally meet you both, and to be welcomed into the family is not something I will be taking for granted. To the future. Cheers,” he said, ending this touching moment with a toast and I swear, I had never had to hold back the tears so much before in my entire life. I swallowed hard, now picking up my own beer and squeezing Jared’s hand, as if needing to hold onto him just so I knew this moment was real.

How I wish it was.

Because the painful truth of it all was that this was one of those perfect moments that could only be made sweeter if that future he spoke of had a chance of happening. But I knew, deep down to my bare bones, that it wasn’t. It wasn’t, despite what Jared had been fooled into believing after his half claiming me had messed with his head. Because I refused to give him my heart so openly like I had done the last few weeks, only to have it crushed again the second his first love returned. Because isn’t that how the story always went? That painful drama that always ended up crushing a heart under another girl’s boot. I mean, he was married for fuck sake, it wasn’t just like some ex-girlfriend he held a secret flame for.

This had been the girl he had always believed he would find again one day. The girl he had fallen in love with back when he was human. The girl who sacrificed her own life for his. Their love was that strong! You didn’t just forget something like that, no matter how old you were and clearly, up until a day ago, Jared hadn’t. Just like I would never forget the love I had for him.

So, I knew.

I fucking knew.

You didn’t forget a love like that… ever.

But that love didn’t mean I was willing to be second best. The girl he had by his side until something better came along to take my place. The real Chosen One he wanted. The one he always had, so much so that thirty years ago he had ensured his coin be there ready for her to use as a key to get back to him.

One I had stolen.

Just like the man who went along with it. Well, I was not going to steal the Claim. Not for the wife who had saved his life. The one who made meeting him even possible. So, for that I would be forever grateful, even if this love had just been a taste I would never experience again. Which was why I had to excuse myself from the table, purposely ignoring the way Jared watched me. Because he knew. Even through my fake smiles and forced laughter at whatever it was my mom had said teasing me, he knew.

He knew that I couldn’t trust this.

So, this perfect moment was tainted, and I was already mourning my loss. Because it had given me only a slice of what I so desperately wanted. What I wished was real. But in reality, I knew what came next. The pretence I would keep up for a while for not just my parents’ sake but for mine as well. I didn’t want to face explaining why we didn’t make it, even though the distance was already an excuse I had in mind to use. It made the most sense as even my parents could tell how hard I had fallen for him. And was it any wonder, as Jesus, they had already welcomed him to the family after only meeting him the once.

But then really, what was there not to love.

Well, maybe there was one thing…

Her.

In the end, I found myself in the downstairs bathroom gripping on to the sink and trying to force the tears back to where they came from.

“This is bad, Ella.” I whispered hopelessly to myself as I swiped angrily at the few tears that hadn’t listened and fell anyway. Then I washed my hands for no particular reason as it wasn’t as if I had used the toilet. No, all I had done was sit down on the seat and let my head hang in my hands for two minutes. Not like this had helped and, in the end, nor had trying to hide, as I opened the door to find the source of all my heart’s turmoil standing there on the other side waiting for me. Then, without a word, he stepped into me and hooked me behind the neck, pulling me into his body for a hug.

Because like I said…

He knew.

“It will all be okay, babe, I promise you this,” he said softly, as he cradled my head to his chest before leaning down so he could kiss my hair. As for me, I only had it in me to nod, hoping that he didn’t feel the tears that escaped and started to soak into his tee.

I don’t know how long we stayed like this for, but it didn’t feel like long enough. It never would. When he pulled back, and raised my face up, I knew it was just one more thing to add to the seemingly endless list of things I would miss about him.

But then he gave me another.

“Let’s go for that ride, beautiful.”

I swallowed hard and nodded again, unable to speak for fear of how much more he would see in my eyes. He did the same, nodding as if this moment was an absolute, before taking my hand firmly in his and pulling me back to the dining room. The wonderful smell of coffee coming from my dad’s mug made me wish I could just stay here. Stay here and partake in the after-dinner custom, instead of allowing Jared to give me even just one more reason why I didn’t want to leave him. Just another painful memory I would be forced to dream about and relive over and over again. Because it had always been a secret dream of mine to know what it felt like to be on the back of his bike.

To be his biker chick.

Well, as I said goodbye to my parents, I knew I was literally only minutes away from Jared making that dream a reality.

“I will be back later,” I said. My mom smirked and weirdly winked at Jared, making me frown in question, wondering what he had said this time.

“Go and have fun, you two… Jared, you take care of my baby girl.”

“Mom,” I groaned softly, but Jared leaned in to kiss my mom on the cheek and whisper,

“I would protect her with my life.” I swear he wasn’t playing fair… Not. At. All. If anything, he was just trying to make me fall in love with him even more than I already was and in truth, it almost felt cruel.

“Jared, don’t be a stranger now, you hear,” my dad said, patting his back like men do before Jared held out a hand for my dad to shake as my mom reached for his jacket.

“It’s been a pleasure, Frank… Libby,” he said, nodding to my mom in thanks for his jacket, which he put on before taking my hand in his and leading me to the front door.

“You won’t need it,” he said as I reached for my own jacket, making me give him a questioning look, one he didn’t take as a hint to explain why. No, instead he just grinned at me and if I didn’t know any better, I would have said he was excited. Did he really want to get me on the back of his bike that much? I had to say, the idea was a nice one despite it being dangerous for my heart. But then, wasn’t just being around Jared considered the same?

“Nice bike,” I commented the moment we were close enough, unable to help whistling. It was stunning. It was also very fitting for Jared, as the dark red flames licked at the crimson paint-job glittering in the last of the day’s sunlight.

“It was a gift,” he told me, and I couldn’t help the next bite of words.

“From another ex-lover who tried to stab you?” At this he threw his head back and laughed before taking my other hand and pulling me into his large frame. Then after he had finished chuckling, he rumbled down at me,

“Jealous, Red?”

“Were you before you realized you were both my first crush and my first heartbreak?” I threw back at him, making him squeeze his arms around me.

“Fuck yeah, I wanted to kill the fucker, although now I just want to kick my own ass.” At this I couldn’t help but smile, shocked that he had admitted this so easily. But then his gaze softened and that hand he had held at my hip rose to my face. Then he cupped my cheek before it dipped beneath my ear, coming to rest at the side of my neck as he told me,

“Got to admit, babe, nice knowing you felt that way about me, even back then.” I opened my mouth ready to deny it and he knew it, reacting before I could say anything by covering my lips with his thumb, shaking his head. Then he placed his forehead to mine and whispered,

“I was a fucking idiot.”

I sucked in a startled breath, feeling every word seep in deep and wrap around the wall of doubt I had erected around my fractured heart. I had to ask myself, just how many moments like this could I endure before those words of his started to break through my defences reaching that heart?

How long would they take to heal it completely?

I quickly shook this thought from my mind, and I think he knew, as he pulled back, his eyes now saying so much more than he dared voice at this point. Because I think he knew just how far to push this and right now, with a single look back at his bike, he had something different on his mind.

Another weapon in his arsenal.

Like making biker chick dreams…

Come true.

21

JARED’S WILD ONE

“So, going back to crazy bitches, please tell me it wasn’t…”

“Orth gave me this bike,” Jared interrupted quickly. No doubt not wanting to taint this moment by hearing me speaking another girl’s name.

“It was a birthday present,” he added, surprising me. Because I don’t know why but it seemed odd, thinking of him having a birthday and celebrating it.

“You’re surprised?” he surmised easily, given my expression. I walked closer to it, now running my finger over the same sigil I had seen throughout his club, along with one on the metal cage of the infamous elevator.

“I guess I just didn’t expect you to celebrate things like that.”

“Normally I wouldn’t give a shit, but Orth has a hard on for that type of thing,” he replied surprising me further, and hence why I asked,

“He does?”

“Oh yeah, shit, but you should see him at Christmas, Devils even has fucking tinsel.” At this I laughed and when he reached out for my hand, taking possession of my fingers that were still strangely tracing the outline of the raised sigil on the gas tank, he tugged gently, trying to gain more of my attention.

“This year, I am thinking of adding mistletoe.” At this I couldn’t help but smirk back up at him as his eyes danced with mischief and well, it was infectious. Which was why I couldn’t help but play along.

“Is that so?” I said in a tone he responded to with a handsome grin,

“Oh yeah,” he hummed as he drew me closer, wrapping his arms around me as if he honestly couldn’t get enough of me. It was as though since turning up here he’d had a taste and now he just couldn’t get enough.

“Mistletoe, eh?” I said, because I wanted to keep it going but couldn’t think of a better come back… and his bad boy grin knew it. Just as he lowered his lips to mine, he whispered over them,

“Fucking everywhere.” Then he kissed me, and I swear my entire body lit up before sighing into him, foolish enough to react by reaching up so I could put my hands around his neck. But this only seemed to give him the green light to deepen the kiss, starting with growling low and deep, as his grip on me tightened. One hand snaked its way up and now had a fist full of my hair. As for the other, it was fisted in the material of the T-shirt at the base of my spine. A T-shirt that I wouldn’t have thought would go any tighter but obviously, I was wrong. This now made, me wonder if it would survive kissing Jared. Jesus, but what would this man be like making love? I swear it would be more like a branding of the soul. An erotically terrifying thought considering what he now believed, and it was no wonder why the act would be considered completing the claim.

Fuck, but just one kiss and I felt like a piece of my soul would rise to my skin, like some cosmic birthmark now saying,

‘Property of a HellBeast’

“Gods, Red,” he growled over my lips when he pulled back enough so I could take a breath… the only reason he stopped. Then, so I could try and move past the emotional lump I felt rising, I used humour once more.

“Gotta say, Beastman, but with you being that good of a kisser, then your council are in for a real treat this Christmas with all that mistletoe you got planned.” At this his eyes widened before he threw his head back and laughed, now palming the back of my head so he could pull me to his chest and hug me, as he continued to chuckle through my joke.

“My girl is fucking funny,” he muttered as if to himself, and I couldn’t help but add these words to so many said before them, meaning that the barrier my heart was encased in was cracking yet again.

“Now come on and stop stalling, biker chick,” he teased, nudging me under the chin with a hooked finger before walking to the other side of his bike. Once there, he opened up the side panniers and pulled out a bag.

“Have to say, didn’t think when shopping for a biker jacket that I would be researching safety ratings and agonizing over the features the way that I did.” At this I couldn’t help but grin as he pulled the jacket from its bag, shaking it out before me. It was a beautiful heavyweight distressed cowhide leather of black, with a white quilted-style section across the chest, and a thinner stripe of red between the rest of the black vintage style leather. But of course, Harley Davidson was then written in black applique letters with the same red outline both across the chest and on the back.

“Why? What do you usually do when you get one?” I asked referring to his ‘research comment’.

“Pick one I like, try that shit on and then buy it.” Then he got closer to my face and whispered,

“Bullet proof, remember?”

“Erm, like I could ever forget that colossal man paddy,” I replied, obviously reminding him of our biggest argument yet and making him growl in what I was thankful was a playful way. As honestly, I didn’t know if I was walking on thin ice with that one.

“Yeah, well I think we both have established by now that when it comes to you, I’m big on safety. So do me a favour and get your fine body zipped up, babe, and put my dick out of its misery, yeah.” I chuckled at this, loving that my choice of T-shirt was a good one, seeing as he groaned when I stuck my chest out and pretended to look down at myself, telling him,

“What? I thought it was apt.”

“Oh, it’s fucking apt alright, but giving me a damn hard-on the first time I am invited round for dinner with your folks was just fucking cruel and nothing short of punishment… and you know it.” Again, I couldn’t help but laugh before taking the jacket from him and doing as he asked, by putting it on.

“There you go, Beastman, the puppies are covered… happy?”

“Not really, but there is enough armour in this jacket it will keep ‘em safe, so we will call it half happy. Now time for the gloves and helmet,” he said, slapping a pair of gloves to match the jacket in my hands before unclipping the helmet from the small backrest part on the end of the bike’s seat.

“I only see one,” I pointed out, putting on the gloves that were black leather with white and red stripes in the same vintage style as the jacket. This comment made him tap the side of his own head and say,

“Crack proof.”

“Damn, so my dad’s tire iron wouldn’t have done much to deter you then?” I joked.

“With you in the house and being the girl I wanted to get to, no Red, there isn’t much out there that could. Now, let’s see if we can get all this wild hair of yours in this thing.” I rolled my eyes at this and said,

“Ha, ha… but wait, is that really why you don’t wear one… don’t want to mess up your pretty hair?” I whispered this last part behind my gloved hand, making him mouth my own response back,

‘Ha ha.’

“You know, if we straighten yours it will be long enough to tie you up with.”

Then he winked at me and again, I couldn’t help it when I started chuckling. But as he lifted the helmet closer to me, I caught sight of the words written along the side forming part of the design, and I couldn’t help my reaction. Not when a startled gasp escaped that no one would have missed, HellBeast hearing or not. Then I reached out with my fingertip and with a slightly shaky hand I couldn’t help, I gently traced over each word. I knew he watched me as I did this and if I had just looked up, I would have seen the intensity of his gaze. That was the strength of it, along with his words. Words I let spill from my lips in a breathy whisper without being able to stop them.

“Jared’s Wild One.” At this the helmet suddenly lowered and my fingertip lost its connection with the elegant script incorporated with the rest of the design. One that had obviously been customized so it matched the colours of his bike. A fact my mind was still clinging to when he went and added to the profound moment, making my pounding heart cling to it too. It started when his palm cupped my cheek, before I found my ear framed between his thumb and the fingers he embedded in my ‘wild hair’.

After this he growled my name in a deep rumble, telling me that I wasn’t the only one being affected here.

“Ella.” This was all he managed to get out before his lips were once more claiming mine and like before and well, every other time… I let him.

But how could I not? How could I force myself to act against my very heart, the same one that felt as if it beat solely for him? Every grin and every laugh I enticed from him felt as if it had my entire soul lighting up for all to see. Every touch and kiss he granted felt as if my heart would beat hard enough to be heard by all. Every soft word he said to me, Christ, but I felt as if I would melt the second they penetrated my mind.

So how was it possible that every fibre of my being felt made for him when seconds after, a doubt so thick swept over it all? A feeling that grew and grew until it felt as if it could suffocate me, burying me too deep to escape. The feeling as if my time with Jared was too late in coming. As if this time was nothing but the shadows that followed his true destiny.

A doubt that had a name.

Lerna.

But despite this, there was still no power in me great enough to pull away from his kiss. Especially when it was all tender, with gentle coaxing, as his tongue slipped inside and caressed my own, tasting me softly. Because this wasn’t a moment to dominate. It wasn’t a battle to wage for control.

It was simply…

A loving, tender moment to be secretly shared between us two.

“I couldn’t think of better words, for there were none,” he told me when finishing the kiss. I found myself fighting back the tears that wanted to rise before spilling over, alerting him then to the fact of how much this gesture had meant to me.

One I wished like never before, I could have trusted in.

As for right now, despite those doubts creeping in because of a name too painful for him to hear even spoken by his brother, I knew not to sully the moment by bringing it up. So, I grinned up at him and told him just as softly as my breaking heart would allow without shattering completely,

“It’s so perfect… thank you, Jared.” At this his eyes grew heated, and his fingers tensed against me, before he pulled me closer so he could dip his head and kiss my forehead.

“You’re welcome, baby,” he whispered, bringing an end to our perfect moment that I decided was one I was going to take and keep with me for all time. Because I was now convinced that Jared claiming me had done something to him and if I were selfish, I would simply ignore it and spend all my time out from under the shadows of his first love.

But the problem with that was as simple as it wasn’t.

I loved him.

So, if this perfect moment was all I would be left with, then I would take it. I would take it, even after a hard shell had formed by beautiful bitter memories that encased around a heart that would never be free to give again. Even then, I would keep this moment at the surface. I would never bury it with all the others I kept locked behind that shell. Because it was too perfect to taint.

So, this I decided would be my one and only selfish day. The one I would never let go of. Not as long as I lived.

Not even when I knew I would have no choice but to…

Walk away one last time.

22

RIDE FREE FIRST

I shook these painful thoughts and agonizing decisions from my mind, and focused only on the ones that would continue to make it perfect. The ones I kept close. Which was why I forced myself to smile.

“Not that I’m complaining here, Red, but gotta know, what’s that beautiful grin for this time?” Naturally, at this question, my smile grew before I admitted,

“Nothing really, just didn’t think my perfect day would come with all the other stuff it came with.”

“Perfect day, eh? I’ll take that. Now, as for this other stuff?” he asked with a sexy raise of that scarred brow of his.

“Well, we both know how it started off…” At this he growled, only stopping long enough so he could then grind out,

“Don’t fucking go there and remind me, Red, not your finest moment.” I frowned but decided to let it go before moving on.

“Yes well, it was followed by nearly playing witness to my aunt and uncle’s live porno in the library.” At this he threw his head back and laughed, and like always, I was momentarily mesmerized.

“This was before my mom and dad unknowingly just approved a HellBeast King as the perfect match for their daughter, so yeah, it’s been a weird day to say the least.” At this his grin grew wider before his free hand dropped, leaving my neck in favour of my waist so he could yank me closer.

“Day’s not over yet, sweetheart, as that HellBeast King’s about to Claim that perfect match in front of the only other person standing in my way… but before that, time for me to take my baby for a ride,” he rumbled, making me flinch in his hold before exhaling into him, having no other response but to sigh his name.

“Jared.”

“Fuck, but I missed the sound of my name coming from your lips,” he told me and again, I wanted to smile up at him as much as I wanted to cry.

It was a cruel beauty I couldn’t escape.

“Now, speaking of rides, I think we best be on ours before the house’s curtain twitcher makes herself a tea and pulls up a chair for the evening.” I looked toward my house to see he was right. My mom was quickly pulling back from the kitchen window where she had obviously been spying on us, making me groan as Jared chuckled.

“She never changes,” I muttered, making him scoff.

“And why would she? She’s your mother, Ella, and loves you… besides, she’s most likely sizing me up for a suit,” he teased at the end and burst out laughing when I started to groan dramatically.

“So, how we doing this?” I asked, nodding back to the bike, and he smirked.

“Well, this here is what you call the seat,” he said, slapping his free hand to it. Crossing my arms across my chest, I gave him a pointed look.

“Ha ha, funny man,” I said, throwing his own nickname for me back at him before asking, “What I mean is, where do I hold on?”

At this he purposely looked down at himself and then up at me, winking as his way of answering me, making me giggle.

“I knew this was your first time, so I had the unthinkable added.” I frowned at that before he gripped onto what looked like a slim backrest on the very back of the long seat.

“The unthinkable?” I questioned, making a grin play at his lips before he got close and after lifting up my head with a gentle grip on my chin, he whispered down at me,

“A sissy bar.”

“It’s not called that!”

“I shit you not, babe, it is.” I was still shaking my head, unable to help but chuckle through his teasing me when I noticed the soft, affectionate way he was looking me.

“Yeah, whatever, Beastman,” I muttered, rolling my eyes once more, keeping our teasing going and feeling his silver-grey gaze heating yet again.

“Now, gather up your hair… my wild one.” He whispered this last part as he lifted up the helmet that was painted with the very same claim. I did as he said, feeling butterflies in my belly at being so close to getting my dream come true.

“Now, this is supposed to be tight, so yank it down,” he told me after I balanced it on top of my head, giving it a look as if asking how the hell was I going to get this thing on. But he was right, all it needed was a bit of forcefulness on my part.

However, the second I got it on and looked at him, he smirked, now looking as though he was trying very hard not to burst out laughing. I frowned in question before he flipped up the visor and then gripped the chin guard. Then he gave it a playful shake and said,

“Too fucking cute with these smooshy cheeks.” Then he flicked my nose, making me fake a growl.

“Oh please, I look bad ass and you know it, but as for you, well you just lost some of your bad assness saying the word smooshy… in fact, guys like you shouldn’t even know that word, let alone say it.” At this he grinned at our banter and said,

“My apologies, kitten, I don’t know what I was thinking. Here, let me try that again… Too fucking cute, looking like you’re storing nuts for winter.” At this I burst out laughing, as he knew I would.

“I think I prefer smooshy to being compared to a damn squirrel.”

“Ah, but a cute squirrel… I mean, I would have gone with hamster but I feared for my balls,” he teased, so I looked down at an area that would never be in question on Jared, which of course was his HellBeast manhood.

“Good call that, Beastman,” I commented dryly, making him wink at me. Then he told me,

“Well, I have got a great sense of survival, so it must be that kickin’ in.”

I couldn’t help but snigger at this and again, the unique sound of it made him grin like it always did. He often teased me about my laugh in the weeks I had stayed with him, but then whenever Marcus had done the same, Jared made a point of claiming he was the only one who got to tease me about it. Something that, admittedly, at the time just made me fall for him even harder.

It also had me wondering what it was about me that drew him in, even back then. I wasn’t a complete fool, as I knew he felt something for me. Hell, he had admitted that much when speaking with his brother. Well, whatever it was, it no doubt added to why he was feeling even stronger now after half claiming me. Something in his supernatural makeup that must have been triggered and was confusing him into forgetting his prior feelings for who he knew deep down was his real Chosen One.

Stop it, Ella, damn it!

I just needed to let this go. At least for now because like I said, if this was my last time with him, then I wanted to make it count. The only way the strength of this love should ever say goodbye. Because I knew later tonight was going to be difficult, beyond so. Which was why we both needed this memory to join us at the end of this heart-breaking journey.

“Come on, sweetheart… time to get your leg over,” he said winking at me, making me roll my eyes in jest.

“So where are we going?” I asked after he threw his leg over the Harley, and I stood there waiting. But then when he motioned for me to come closer to him, I automatically did as I was told.

“Look up for me, Red.” Again, I did as I was told as he reached out to buckle up my helmet, as if this was an afterthought and well, if he wasn’t used to wearing a helmet himself, then I guess it was. Once he was finished, he then gave it a little slap, surprising me enough to flinch before complaining,

“Hey, easy there, Beastman!” Then he flipped down the visor and made a show of holding a palm to his ear.

“Sorry, what was that?” Then he gestured as if he couldn’t hear me.

“I said take it easy, HellBeast!” I shouted this time, or at least tried to with my ‘smooshy’ cheeks.

“Nope, still can’t hear you, babe,” he teased, making me say,

“Here, try this.” Then I made a wanker sign, getting an imaginary cock off in the air, and he thew his head back, laughing once more. Then he kicked the stand up and rested the bike in between his legs, making me ask,

“What now?”

“Now hold on to my shoulders and swing your leg over, easy as riding a HellBeast, babe.” I laughed at that, making a point of slapping my hands to his shoulders and causing him to chuckle.

“Yeah, I deserved that,” he muttered, still full of humour as if he was enjoying himself just as much as I was, and it reminded me of our date in London. Jared for the most part could be a serious hard ass, and although he allowed himself to grin, chuckle and laugh, this was never more so than when he was outside of his Hellish domain.

That day in London he had been so different to how he could be in the club. Just like he was now. More free spirited, and easy going. Jared was always relaxed in his own skin, this was true. This was all very obvious, as I had never quite seen a confidence like it. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, the only other person that ever came close with that type of raw magnetism was my uncle. And thinking about it, even the small amounts that I had seen Lucius, I could class him as the same, making me realize that this must be a ‘King’ thing. This then made me wonder if it was this way for the rest of the Supernatural world. Did it mean it was also like that for their Queens? Those relaxed pieces of their men only ever seen by the women they had claimed as their Chosen Ones.

Was this what was happening now?

Which had me wondering just how many others before me had gotten even a glimpse of this side of him? Who else had been given the gift of those feet up, jeans and motorcycle tee, lazy movie days, drinking beer and laughing at our endless banter.

Who else had been gifted moments of the real Jared Cerberus?

I knew which answer I wanted.

I also knew which answer scared me the most.

But as for right now, well I was getting my first taste of Biker Jared, who I had to say was heating up my blood like never before. Jesus, but just getting to hold onto him as I mounted the damn bike was making me breathe heavy, something he thankfully couldn’t hear.

“Now, feet up on the foot rests closest to you,” he said, momentarily bringing me out of my lustful state to do as I was told.

“Wh-what next?” I asked, stuttering though my lust and knowing he could hear me, despite pretending otherwise.

“This is where you fuck the sissy bar and put your arms around me instead,” he replied on a half growl, making me shiver against him as another bolt of lust hit me. Something that continued the moment I did as I was told and wrapped my arms around him, taking a deep breath as this dream started to merge quickly into reality.

“And now?” I forced out the question in a thick voice that spoke only of what this moment was meaning to me.

“Now…” he said, pausing to make the bike roar into life just before he finished giving me one last instruction,

“…You hold the fuck on to your HellBeast.”

23

BEGINNING

Breathtaking.

Exhilarating.

Beautiful.

These were only some of the words from the many I could find to describe how it felt to be on the back of Jared’s bike riding free. Because that was exactly what it felt like…

Pure freedom.

As if your soul was being fed by the beauty of silence. Of course, there was the sound of the engine beneath you but what spoke the loudest, were your own thoughts. No phone in hand, no messages to reply to or emails to check. There was no TV remote or books to read. There was no chatter or sounds of everyday life infiltrating the privacy of your own thoughts.

There was just the road ahead of you and depending on where you were in the world, the beauty either side of it. But for me, it was admittedly extra special, as no doubt it felt for any other girl in love…

There was the man I got to share it with.

The man who my arms were wrapped around, keeping me safe with the way he glided the metal beast beneath us around each bend. He had also been really attentive the whole time, making sure I was okay. A pat on my leg or a squeeze of my hands held against his ribs once I had learned to relax after ten minutes of getting used to it. But as soon as you got over the irrational fear that you would suddenly fall off, that’s when you really started to fall in love. After you let go of everything, including the illogical fear that when you sat down you wouldn’t just suddenly lean to the side for no reason and slip to your death. As for the bike, even going around bends, you didn’t find yourself moving much, just holding on tighter. Something I think Jared particularly enjoyed as he would squeeze me tighter.

But then, like I said, after a few pats of my hand, his voice was just barely heard over the sound of the bike when he told me to,

“Relax, Red.”

I finally gave into the demand, and after that was when I really started not only to enjoy it, but I quickly slipped straight into becoming addicted! I tried to convince myself that I would feel like this on any bike but damn it, I knew Jared was half the cause for that growing addiction. Christ, but it was just seeing the way he handled the bike that had me growing wet and turning me on to the point it was verging on ridiculous.

That’s when I knew this had been a colossal mistake. Allowing him to take me for a ride as a way of giving myself a goodbye memory to hold onto… fuck, but what had I been thinking? Jesus, by the time he pulled into the view spot and cut the engine, I was almost ready to take a match to my reasons not to allow him to claim me fully, letting it burn like kindling.

Especially when he was tapping my leg again as a silent signal to swing myself off before I watched him do the same. In fact, I found myself needing to turn away just to save myself the embarrassment. Seriously, did he have to look so fucking hot just getting off a damn bike?!

I swear, it was times like this that even my inner hussy had to fan herself. Hence why instead of drooling at him, in some unsexy cartoon-mouth-dropping comical way, I decided to focus on trying to remove the helmet. Although, because of my inability to function properly, I ended up fumbling with it for a few seconds before I realized my gloved fingers were making it way more difficult than it had to be.

However, just before I could do something about it, I felt Jared taking hold of my shoulders before turning me to face him. Then when I was where he wanted me, he reached under my chin to undo it for me, a different type of grin playing on his handsome lips this time. Call me crazy, but it was one that almost seemed like he enjoyed taking care of me this way and was looking for any excuse to do so.

“There you go, baby,” he said, letting me know that I could now remove my helmet and as I did, I was pretty sure I heard him hiss,

“Fuck.” This was as my hair rained down as I had no choice but to shake it out. Although, I had no idea that by doing so would provoke such a reaction from him. That it would ignite a fire within him, as one second I was there, shaking out my hair, and the next I was being forced to hold my helmet to my side, as hands framed my face. This before a pair of lips framed by that soft trimmed beard of his were descending on my own with a heated growl that spoke only of his need for me.

Then came his kiss and this time… there was nothing soft and gentle about it. No, this was raw and powerful. All-consuming and dominating. This was ownership and a branding of the most historical form. Christ, but it felt as if he was connecting directly with my soul and imprinting a piece of his own into its core.

It was dangerous.

But despite all these things, I couldn’t stop it.

I was powerless to stop it.

Because my heart wasn’t strong enough to say no. Just two little letters that should have held all the power I needed. And yet they were the only two letters I couldn’t say. The only power I didn’t want to use. So, I didn’t. Instead, what I did do was let him have me… and I loved every fucking second of it!

“Yes,” I moaned as the depth of his kiss was amplified the moment he wrapped his arms around me and locked me tighter to him.

“Fuck,” he groaned again, and I knew it was said in the best of ways. Because I knew he wasn’t the only one that had the power here.

I also held power. The power to affect him.

“Jared.” I whispered his name for no other reason but knowing he missed it coming from me and it would make him happy. I knew I had done the right thing when I felt his arms tighten around me.

“Fuck, Red, but I would appreciate it if you could stop being so Gods be damned sexy for five fucking minutes and give my will power a fucking break, before I claim you up against my bike and make it my new favourite for a whole other reason.” This was definitely the right thing to say as I let my head fall to his chest, letting my actions speak for how I felt, gripping onto him even tighter. Then I looked up at him and, needing to break the sexual tension, said,

“Orth would be disappointed.”

“Ha, the fuck he would!” he said on a laugh, and my look was enough to get him to say more.

“Babe, my brother has been trying to get my head out my ass since the day we landed in London.” I shrugged at this and said,

“He likes me.”

“No Red, he likes you for me, and anything after that is ‘cause he knows how fucking happy you make his brother.” Oh. My. God.

So yeah, that was nice to hear… real nice. Damn it! Don’t go there, Ella, please God, just don’t go there, heart.

“Speaking of happy, whatcha’ think of the ride?” he asked, thankfully saving me from responding to how nice that statement had been and the havoc it was now playing with the heart he seemed to unknowingly have held in the palm of his hand.

“I… well, I of course… erm…”

“You of course erm… gotta’ give me more than that, babe,” he said, mocking me after first chuckling.

“I mean, what I meant to say, is just that…” I said, trying not to give in with how I really felt, and fucking up the whole playing it cool thing completely.

“Gods, Red, we really have to work on your ability to form sentences. Unless you hate…” I couldn’t let him finish that sentence, so I quickly threw my gloved hand over his mouth and shouted,

“I loved every second of it!” At this his eyes grew wide, but before I removed my hand I went on and told him,

“I was trying to play it cool, okay? But clearly, that doesn’t work if your name is Carrie Ella Connor and you’re faced with a hot, bad ass biker asking that question.” At this I felt movement beneath my palm, knowing now that he was grinning.

“But what I am trying to say is that I knew I would enjoy it, what I didn’t expect was how much I would love it, become addicted to it and now want to sell a kidney just to get myself a Harley.” At this it took him only a second longer before he was laughing, then he shackled my wrist and forced my hold over his mouth to lower. Then he nipped at the leather covering my hand before biting it hard enough that a tug was all it took to slide my hand from it. After this, he let my glove fall before telling me,

“First, you put your hands on me, I want nothing between your skin and mine. Second, you’re keeping your kidneys exactly where they are fucking needed. And third… you get a Harley, and I will be the one to fucking buy it for you.” I sucked in a shuddered breath at all this. But mainly at the actions that went with this last growl of words, as he took one of my fingers into his mouth and bit down, before soothing the slight sting with his tongue. Something that shot straight to the juncture of my thighs, especially when his other hand fisted the jacket he had given me and he rumbled out,

“Fuck me, kitten, but all the fucking delectable things I want to do to you… that I am going to do to you…” He added this last part as nothing short of a frightening promise. One I knew I would have no choice but to run from. But Jesus Christ, how I wished I could have fulfilled just one more dream before I did. Frustrating then when I knew that doing so would have tied him to me, the wrong girl… forever.

Another dream.

Only this one was just as wrong as the rest.

“But first, after being forced to miss the sun rising with you in my arms like I have become addicted to, I want to watch the sunset with you and see the end to this day the way we will from this moment on… together.” At this, my heart squeezed and I tensed in his arms before whispering his name for a very different reason this time.

“Jared.”

“No, Ella, no doubts, not now… not while I’ve got my Wild One in my arms.” I sucked in a startled breath, again wondering how much my heart would be able to take.

After this he took the helmet from my hand, and placed it on the bike seat before leading me toward an old fallen tree. It was all twisted and weather-beaten up on this high clearing, but with the way it was positioned, it also made for the perfect place to sit to take in the view ahead. And what a view! An amazing sight that took your breath away almost as much as the HellBeast King that had led me up here. Because from up here you could see the whole of the national park, spread out like a rolling carpet of green. It was incredible and despite living here for most of my life, it was a viewing spot I had never known about before. Naturally, this made me comment seconds after we sat down next to each other.

“Growing up here, I thought I had seen all the best hiking spots.”

“Ah, but you never had a hot, bad ass biker before to get you up to them,” he teased, winking at me like he usually did, now tucking me closer to his side. I gave him a wry sideways look that he chuckled at. But I swear I had never seen a more handsome sight than Jared’s raw beauty being graced by the last minutes of the sun. In fact, it was such a stunning sight that it created a lump in my throat knowing I wouldn’t have this always. Knowing that this would be the last time. God but it nearly broke me. So much so that I hadn’t noticed that I was squeezing his hand tighter and tighter, as my entire body was afraid to let go.

“Hey…” He never got to finish as for the first time since knowing him, I let my impulse take over, knowing that right now I literally had nothing to lose. Because I had already lost him the night I heard him speaking to his brother.

The night a little dancing girl died in his arms.

So, I turned my body into his and putting a palm to the back of his neck, I pulled him into me, kissing him with all I had inside me. At first his shock prevented him from doing anything but letting me. As I felt him tense against me before quickly relaxing into my hold on him. After this, kissing him was as natural as breathing, but far more satisfying as for once, he let me take the lead.

Another profound moment passed between us and as the sun began its final descent of the day, I poured everything into this last kiss between us. All the emotions I felt with words I knew I couldn’t say. Each second of my kiss shouting them out as if my heart was haemorrhaging them and couldn’t stop the bleed. Which was why it was a kiss I never wanted to end, and I think Jared knew it. As he suddenly grabbed me, and as if I weighed nothing at all, I soon found myself sat astride him, having no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist.

This was when I knew my time at controlling this kiss was at an end. Because to Jared, this was not a goodbye.

This was only…

The beginning.

24

TWILIGHT WITHOUT THE SPARKLES

After this amazing moment on the clearing, where my secret goodbye took place, I soon found myself back on Jared’s bike where the perfection continued. I also knew where we were now headed, even without him needing to tell me.

We were on our way to…

Afterlife.

Which meant my time was quickly running out, just as the last soft glow of light was kissing the mountains. The darker, more ominous roads also told me that twilight was soon to give way to the night, one I no doubt would never forget. A darkness I knew would cast the last few moments of my colourful world into the shadows of this reality. This was also why I ended up gripping on tighter to him and unbeknown to him, it had nothing to do with the bend we maneuvered around.

However, once we were round that bend, then my thoughts swiftly changed as the sight in front of us quickly had my heart in my throat. As for Jared, despite his quick reactions to most things, this was something no one would have been able to avoid. Meaning he failed to react fast enough to dodge the long strip of spikes lying across the road in what we both knew was a trap. One set with no chance of escaping, seeing as the stingers had been set directly around the bend and in an impossible place to see, allowing for no time to try and evade them.

And evade them we didn’t.

No, instead, time seemed to slow down as the first sound of the tires bursting was heard even over the roar of the engine. This screeching sound of trouble was quickly followed by a harrowing series of events. Horror that started with opening my mouth to scream when the bike started to swerve to the side, causing our bodies to go with it. However, with the sharp jerk of the bike, I felt my body start to lift and in what I knew was only seconds, a flash of silver rippled across my vision. One second I was flying from the bike, and the next I was suddenly encased in a living, breathing wall of strength.

I felt my body jar hard against whatever had hold of me in its protected shell as I seemed to land, before I felt myself skidding along the floor. I felt a slight pain at my thigh before it stopped suddenly, as my leg was scooped up tighter in the strange, hard cocoon around me. I sucked in a deep breath as it tightened, now shifting me closer to the core, keeping me nestled there. I felt myself breathing heavy, bracing myself for when we eventually stopped, and took these few seconds to get my brain back into gear and figure out what was happening.

My mind tried to make sense of it, and it took its time to get there as I played back the seconds since being flung from the bike. The conclusion was mind boggling as one second, Jared was there right in front of me, and then he was twisting around as he too was flung from the bike. But then as he did this, he must have started to change into what I assumed was his HellBeast form. This, at the same time as enveloping me in his Hellish side to protect me.

Which meant that he had endured the full brunt of both the landing, and the way we made our brutal journey toward the tree line that framed the road by skidding across the unforgiving asphalt. Something that I knew would have shredded my skin down to the bone, despite my jeans or high safety-rated jacket. Because I was no expert on motorcycle road safety here, but even I knew with the length we travelled that was equivalent to taking a sanding machine to the material covering my body, it was only going to last so long.

Clearly, I wasn’t the only one with this mind set, as so was Jared, seeing as he had turned all beasty on me in the split second it had taken the bike to jerk out of his control. But then there was also the potential broken bones or internal damage that could have occurred had he not reacted this way. Which meant that by the time we finally stopped, I was far less scared of lifting my head and facing the Supernatural side of my saviour. This more than I might have been had I spent these few traumatic seconds freaking out about when I was going to hit a tree, wrap around it and die.

So, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a cracked vision of strange silver fur. It looked like a permanent lightning bolt zigzagged across my eyes, taking me a second to realize what it was. Then I saw the hardened fur moving against me through what I now knew was a broken visor. Jared’s HellBeast form was as big as the first time I saw it, making me feel tiny as I lay cradled against his now softer underbelly.

I couldn’t help but question if he’d made his form softer for me, as I distinctively remember the deadly silver spiked fur that covered his body back in the ring when he fought my attacker. And like last time, not a single shred of the Jared I knew was left, making me suck back a startled breath. I never expected I would get a chance to see him like this again, let alone be this close.

Christ, but I could even feel my gloved hands fisted at his sides, gripping onto him, as if it had been done out of pure instinct. Needless to say, when realization hit, I let go pretty quickly and was rewarded with a strange rumbling sound. Not quite a growl, but not quite a purr either. However, it was enough to freak me out enough to move the moment I had a chance. This was when he started to turn his body to the side so my back rolled to the ground, meaning I was no longer lying on top of his belly. This prompted me to quickly scramble from under him the second he lifted himself up to his massive paws, each of which shone in the last of the light with their deadly talons curling into the dirt.

I continued to crawl backward like a crab until I had put enough space between us, scared at what his HellBeast may do now it was so close to me in the flesh.

Would it like me?

Would it like me as much as Jared did?

“Eeeasy nnow,” I stuttered as I held my shaky hand out when he took his first step closer, now lowering his massive head. His sloping forehead dipped lower as it rippled with his spiked fur, as if responding to my voice. Those slanted almond-shaped eyes glowed like some silver tiger as he rumbled once more, as if he was trying to communicate something. I even had some insane urge to reach out and touch him, wanting to know if those jagged strips of smaller spikes were as hard as they looked. Naturally, I refrained, fearing he would bite my hand off for wanting to touch him. But then, unlike the last time I had seen him this way, he didn’t look as threatening.

No, instead he looked as if he was trying to put me at ease, by crouching lower so as not to intimidate me or something. For one, he wasn’t snarling or bearing his huge fangs at me, a pair that still reminded me of a sabretooth lion, as they hung past his spiked muzzle. But then his eyes or fangs weren’t the only thing that reminded me of that feline grace, as the rest of his body was of the sleek build. Even the spikes that covered his large frame seemed less deadly, as they lay flat and closer to his body, making me wonder if he could control this side of him. Like another element of defence, turning his fur into a weapon when needed.

Of course, this wasn’t the only weapon his body was equipped with, as there was no forgetting that Jared had a tail.

Yes.

I said a tail.

One that swished back and to with smaller spikes that rippled the same way the rest of his body did, as it rose and fell in waves. It made me wonder if they were responding to me, making me almost desperate once more to touch them. To run my fingertips over the thick black clumps all the way to their gleaming silver tips, wondering if they would be soft or hard. Would they be sharp and prick my skin or would they glide against my hand like metal? Was that why they made that strange sound when they rippled like that, like hundreds of metal plates slotting into place all at once.

But despite how brave I wanted to be, I couldn’t help but flinch back again when I saw him raise a giant paw toward my face. This action making me fearful that his HellBeast didn’t know who I was. However, the moment I put more action into this fear by scooting back further, he growled, and I wisely froze my movements. Then, clenching my eyes shut tight, waiting for a new pain entirely, I felt the strap of my helmet loosen under my chin.

Shocked by this, my eyes snapped open to find that he had swiped out a claw to cut through it and was now nudging my chin guard with the butt of his head, telling me to remove it. I reached up with shaky hands and did as I was silently told, finding his actions to communicate both fascinating and shocking.

However, our strange moment was quickly lost as the sound of a revving engine shattered the thirty seconds of silence. This made his HellBeast turn his snarling head toward the interruption. So, I inched around and once I was free of my helmet, and broken visor, I could see that we were far from being out of danger. I knew that the second I saw the armoured truck coming closer, one that looked only a cannon and tracks away from becoming a full tank! Although, the first in Jared’s line of sight to be killed was a man that walked from the tree line, and had obviously been the one to plant the stingers.

The HellBeast quickly moved and before I knew what was happening, he was stood over me, clearly in a protective stance that spoke only of his claim for me. Jared’s Beast looked toward the threat and then back to me, before butting his head to the ground, rumbling a lighter growl this time. Then he pawed at the grass, clawing long lines into it before again butting his snout into the centre.

“X marks the spot?” I whispered gently, making him bow his head as if communicating to me that this was right.

“Alright, Beastman, I will stay here,” I told him, knowing now that this was definitely what he wanted. Something he confirmed by nudging the side of his head into me, doing so with a far gentler motion than what he had awarded the ground.

After this, I caught movement and looked toward the man who was readying himself by cracking his neck to one side. I had to say, the second the man’s fangs started to grow and Demonic hands started to form, I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy fight. Not when it looked like a Vampire had just clawed his way up from Hell with the intension of killing himself a HellBeast!

As for Jared, he clearly would have disagreed with this statement, that was, had he not been a Hellish Beast and had more in his vocabulary than growls, snarls and utterly terrifying roars. Which was precisely what he did the second he took off running toward the man, making my entire body tense all over. Hell, but it was as if I was the one bracing for impact as Jared’s sleek, terrifying body cut up the space between them. As if he was being propelled by more than just his strong hindlegs, but by the Devil’s will alone.

“Oh, God,” I muttered, watching him leap toward the enemy as the Vampire produced a long glowing blade from behind his back, making me want to scream for Jared’s safety. However, just as the blade was swung around, hoping to take a flaming slice out of my HellBeast, I opened my mouth to cry out when Jared’s Beast started to change. Those triangular clumps of fur started to seep into deadly spear heads of glowing lava rock, creating a Hellish armour that made the blade bounce straight off. This before it actually shattered the blade in a flash of blinding light. Pieces of it exploded around them both before raining down and coming to rest like a fractured fallen star on the road.

A single second of shock was the very last expression to take hold of the Demon’s face before it was swallowed up by Jared’s mighty jaws as he literally bit into his head. Then Jared purposely allowed the momentum to continue as his HellBeast’s body summersaulted, where the back of his body flipped forward. Then he pushed off the ground with his front paws to keep going, still with the man’s head in his mouth and his body being dragged along for the ride. This meant that by the time he flipped back over to land on all four paws, the man’s body separated from his head, and it went flying forward at such speed, it hit the front of the armoured truck.

The truck screeched to a stop at the impact, and Jared’s HellBeast tossed the severed head off to one side after crunching down on it as if to make a point. Then he started to claw long, Hellish lines of actual fire down the asphalt, giving them but a glimpse of his power. The truck accepted the silent challenge, and the driver revved the engine before it shot forward, eating up the road between them.

Again, despite how easily he had defeated the Vampire, one that had clearly underestimated Jared’s ability, I still couldn’t believe he was playing chicken with this thing. I mean, it had a fucking battering ram for fuck sake! It was arrow-shaped and welded to the front of the truck, and made with only one thing in mind…

To destroy everything in its path.

“JARED, LOOK OUT!” I screamed. As he swung his head my way, I felt like an idiot for taking his gaze from it. Seriously, why wasn’t he getting out of the way?! I couldn’t help but wave my arms like a crazy lady, trying to get him to move to safety. However, he just grunted a gruff grumble sound as if his Beast was the one who thought I was nuts.

But of course,

I soon knew why.

The rumbling began beneath me the second Jared planted his paws firmly to the ground, and I watched as those claws curled around, gouging deeper and deeper into the asphalt concrete. Then, that same magma veined fur started to ripple, as if he was powering up or something. I didn’t understand what was going on, I only knew that by him doing this made the vibrating ground beneath me start to shake with even more strength. I ended up being jarred forward until my gloved hand hit the ground, and seeing the rocks there, I was glad Jared had made sure I had put them back on after pulling them off with his teeth earlier.

I whipped my head up after spending seconds watching as those small rocks danced along the floor caught in Jared’s earthquake. This was to find the same Hellish power that fuelled his body beneath the fur start to rise up his legs from the ground, wrapping around each limb like it was rooting him to the very Hell beneath him. It was as if…

He commanded it!

This was when I braced for impact, seeing him do the same as he turned his head, dropping it slightly so his massive body could save him the full-on collision. His shoulders rose up, and his strange fur started growing, hardening like building a fucking wall of power that ended up doing the unbelievable. I watched, my heart in my throat, as the truck hit into him and was forced to an immediate stop, bouncing on its wheels twice as the force rippled through the metal frame.

I could even see the driver’s eyes widen as if this was the very last thing he expected to happen. As if these guys hadn’t been given the whole truth about who they had been sent to fuck with. Jared was a fucking machine! Something that only continued to ring true when the truck’s engine started to splutter as if the timing was knocked out of alignment, a sound I knew well. Then, before it could reverse, which was what the man behind the wheel was hoping to achieve, Jared roared so loudly, it once again shook the ground. After this, he disengaged the Hellish anchor that had rooted him to the spot so he could then leap up onto the hood.

Once there, he slashed his claws straight through the metal and actually tore up the engine, making it quickly die altogether. Of course he soon set his sights on the driver who was raising what looked like a shotgun, making me wonder this time if he was human, using a mortal weapon like that.

Naturally, this did nothing to Jared, as with a snapping whip of his tail, I saw nothing but a flashing line of silver before it shot forward with intense speed. A single blink later, and it had impaled itself straight through the windscreen and directly into the man’s heart. I saw a blue glow coming from the man’s chest telling me now that he was in fact a supernatural, which was no doubt why the man was not dead yet. No, he was just squirming around like a fish on a hook, caught on the weapon that was Jared’s tail.

As for Jared, he clearly didn’t think much of this and decided to put an end to it and his life, as he suddenly started to retract his tail, but doing so in a way that kept the body connected. This meant that the guy was jerked so hard against the windscreen that it began to crack. Something it continued to do until the third bang against it made it give way entirely, and the guy shot through the glass as the windscreen exploded around him. He was flung forward behind Jared, landing on the road with a sickening crunch of limbs. The force looked as though he had been dropped from a fifty-storey building.

Needless to say, that whatever light there had been before now, it dimmed to the point it died completely, no doubt signalling the death of the guy right along with it.

For a brief moment, I believed this was it and the end to Jared’s carnage, but I was wrong. This was proven when his Beast jumped down from the hood and snarled dangerously at the now smoking truck. Then, as the back doors crashed open, Jared swung his frightening head toward the side of the truck with such force, it actually tipped over, making the last guy stumble from the back.

Oh great, three more bad guys to watch being mauled to death, I thought, wishing I could have just tapped out of this scene and told him to come find me when he was done. Although, I also had to admit that there was something strangely fascinating about watching him in his other form. Something that drew me in and kept me held prisoner in his presence. The sleek grace combined with the raw beauty of each move his powerful Hellish body made.

He looked truly unstoppable.

This was despite the three Demons that all started to change, one by one.

“Oh fuck!” I cried, before covering my mouth with my hands at the horror he now faced. Two of the three mortal looking bodies started to tear at their shirts, as if needing the room to grow. At the same time their bodies bent and snapped side to side as if something inside of them was trying to get free, and torn cloth fell from their curled fingers. It was in this moment that I started to gag, as the sound of bones popping was followed by the sight of their skeletal frames forcing their way to the surface of the skin. This before their ribcages burst outward from flesh and soon, bloody torsos ended up looking more like half decomposed zombies, with bone wrapped on the outside of their bodies like dead armour.

But then, as they started to fan out, I was surprised by their tactic as I would have thought they would have been far better ganging up on the HellBeast they faced and trying to take him down all together. However, that’s when I realized…

They weren’t here for Jared.

No.

They were here…

For me.

25

HARD HEAD REALITY

The moment they started to split up, I knew why, as two of them started to inch their way closer to me while the third tried to keep Jared busy. He was one of the ones I was calling the bone zombies and he did this by opening up some kind of portal in front of him.

I gasped in true terror when I saw the first creature emerge.

Now, if I thought two of these Demons looked like Zombies, then these things looked like their Zombie pets, as they walked on all fours but looked more like broken, tortured people. Skin burned until it resembled nothing but decaying, twisted leather bleeding at the folds and covering double jointed limbs that seemed to be able to move in all directions. Faces that were nothing more than gaping, bleeding holes where their eyes once were, and rows and rows of huge interlocking teeth.

“Gorgon Leeches, devour HellBeast flesh!” the Demon commanded as more came through, with their horrifying heads rotating a full 360 degree angle as they snapped their teeth and cracked their bones with each step they took toward Jared.

As for my HellBeast protector, he quickly began to cut them down as if they were nothing more than a pack of wild, half-starved dogs up against the biggest lion anyone had ever seen. Basically, it was no fight at all, but more like a slaughter on Jared’s part.

However, what it was, at this point in time, was a means for the others to get to me, making me look down at the X Jared’s Beast had created, knowing that I could no longer stay there. I had to try and run to give Jared more time to kill the creatures so he could take down the other two. In fact, I was just about to cry out in utter terror as I watched the creature do what I had first suspected the others would have done, which was all pounce on the HellBeast at once.

However, doing this didn’t have the desired affect the bad guys were hoping for as Jared rippled his strange fur once more, making it flow with Hellfire beneath. This was so that when each Hellish mouth clamped on, they instantly burned to a cinder until a cloud of ash was all that remained. Now, with all the creatures long gone, Jared leapt over the portal and just as more hands were trying to claw their way out of it, his Beast literally bit the Demon who was commanding them in half!

I felt bile rise the second that high pressure spray of blood hit the air in a mist before it poured out of the two halves of his now dead vessel. After this, the portal instantly closed, now having no master left to power it, cutting the creatures’ limbs off that had been unlucky enough to make it through.

As for me, well my troubles were getting more and more serious. Because they had said to Hell with trying to get to me in a subtle way, now flat out running toward me. I reached down and grabbed a large branch, swinging it around the second the first guy got close enough. I ended up missing, but kept hold of it at the same time screaming,

“JARED, HELP ME!” This was when he whipped his head around and snarled as he saw I was now being cornered up against a tree, swinging wildly with the only weapon I could find. I didn’t know where the more mortal-looking Demon had gone, but with the last bone Zombie coming closer, this was my main concern as he held his arms about a metre apart in front of him. I wasn’t given much time to wonder what he was doing as a swirling shadow appeared and started to grow bigger and bigger.

I didn’t know what he intended to do with it, but the second I felt my entire body grow sluggish, I knew whatever he was doing had started working. It felt as if it was slowly sucking the energy right out of me, making me drop the branch and lose the only weapon I had. After this I felt myself taking a step closer to him, as if an invisible rope was wrapped around my belly, tugging me closer and closer toward the danger.

I couldn’t shake loose of the mental restraints the guy had me caught up in, like some net I couldn’t see. Like my body was not my own as my arms dropped to my sides and my head rolled forward in the ultimate sign of defeat and submission. I felt like a piece of me was being sucked out from my centre and slowly making its way toward the swirling darkness that I knew wanted to consume me.

But then I knew I had to try. I had to move. I couldn’t give up. No, not now… not ever. So, with what felt like the last of my strength, I forced my head up and made my arm raise up. It felt like wading through wet sand, with that kind of force pressing down against me. As if I was being buried alive by an avalanche of despair tangible enough that I twisted the thoughts, telling myself that if I could feel it then I could fight against it.

And fight is what I did.

“Impossible!” The Demonic voice muttered in shock, but then just as I felt something inside me building, the feeling was suddenly ripped from me. It was as if my entire body had just shot back inside me, filling me up with so much energy it was hard to stay on my feet, rocking me back a few steps. This was at the same time the Demon was standing there in front of me one second, and the next he was gone. A blink of an eye was all it took to miss him being gone until my eyes tracked movement below and I saw the guy was on the floor being dragged backward on his belly.

“HellBeast,” I muttered, and I saw that Hellish glow surrounding his form as he cracked the guy’s spine with one heavy paw slamming it down. This before he curled his claw in deep enough, a puddle of blood quickly formed around it. A blood-curdling scream mirrored the horrific scene and I ended up feeling the tree at my back once more as I moved further away.

Of course, I knew Jared wouldn’t hurt me, but that didn’t make the scene in front of me any less frightening. The power inside him was insane to witness, and I knew would be a sight that stayed with me for the rest of my life. However, what I had allowed to happen was to focus all my attention on what was no longer a threat in front of me, forgetting about all the danger at my back. Which meant that when a hand clamped over my mouth from behind, there was no warning, and my scream came out muffled. I was then roughly pulled away from the tree and back toward where Jared had told me to stay.

As for my HellBeast saviour, he was currently busy clawing the body beneath him apart. I knew then that I needed to warn him, and to do that I needed my voice. Because where the guy was leading me towards, was what now looked like another portal, telling me this was what he had been doing while his friend had tried to control me. This had been their plan all along. To create enough of a distraction to keep Jared occupied while these two kidnapped me.

I couldn’t let it happen.

I just needed one scream.

One more cry for help and my HellBeast would snap out of his blood-lust long enough to save me. So, with this in mind, I bit down so hard on the hand over my mouth, I felt my teeth sink into his flesh until I tasted the metallic tang of his blood. It was hard enough that he instinctively dropped his hand enough that I could scream bloody murder.

“MY HELLBEAST KING!” I bellowed until my lungs ached and my throat burned, but it was enough to jar him from his attack. Which meant his head snapped up before he roared up at the darkening sky. I felt the shiver of fear at my back as I was still pulled away from him.

“Jared…” I whispered with tears in my eyes, fearing the worst. But he was soon stalking toward us, growling in his unspoken warning for the Demon to let me go. I decided to act in an attempt to disengage myself from the Demon’s hold and take myself out of the equation completely. I did this by ramming my elbow into his gut, doing so hard enough that I was able to slip out of his grasp as I dropped to my knees ready to roll away.

However, the second I did this, I got as far as reaching out with my hand before I was caught with a tight grip around my neck. I was then hauled to my feet, but not before I fisted around the only thing I had found on the ground… the torn straps of my helmet.

I held it to my side knowing I could potentially use this as another weapon if only I was given the right opportunity. As for Jared, he had just kicked back the very dead, torn up carcass of his latest kill, snarling when this new threat yanked me back hard against his front.

“Stop right there, HellBeast, or I will tear her fucking throat out!” At this my HellBeast roared in anger as if calling his bluff. This turned out to be a mistake as soon I felt the hand at my throat begin to change. This doing so in a way that not only did the skin feel like hard scales against my flesh, but it was also the growing talons I could feel held painfully pinched at my neck. Something that now made this threat to rip my throat out very real indeed.

This was when I saw a visible flinch in the HellBeast, before suddenly I was left stunned when watching as his Hellish form started to ripple and shift back into the man I knew. First that delicious naked body was standing there and the next, he was bringing forth a pair of jeans and a plain black Tee so he wasn’t standing there having this showdown naked.

“Let her go and I will kill you as a man and not tear you apart as a Beast like I did your friends here,” Jared threatened, making me wonder if this was the best way to go, seeing as he wasn’t giving him much motivation to let me go as it was pretty much ‘death’ or ‘horrific horrifying death’.

“Stand back or you will regret it. You’re not the only one with claws, Devil’s Dog!” the Demon threatened back, making Jared’s silver gaze glow in anger.

“You won’t hurt her, after all, Garmr obviously needs her alive,” Jared said, and I couldn’t help but flinch, knowing not only what he knew, but what he had also chosen to keep from me. But then, I guess I had done the same with all I had kept from him, so I knew it made me no better.

“Wants her alive, not needs her alive, but either way, he will get what he has paid for, so go ahead, HellBeast, and please… push me!” At this I ended up whimpering when I felt those claws dig in even harder and close to piercing the skin. I watched as Jared visibly tensed the second he heard my reaction to pain, and that jaw clenching told me all he wanted to do now was crush this guy’s head with his bare hands. And with that one look alone, I also knew that Jared was…

Scared.

He couldn’t take his eyes from the claws at my throat, as if waiting for the moment they would draw blood. I also saw the way his hands curled into fists at his sides as if trying to hold himself back from bursting into his HellBeast and trying to take him out. Something we both knew at this point would most likely get me killed. Which was why I knew I needed to take control of the situation and fast, as the guy had started to walk me once more toward the portal. I knew that the moment I was pulled through, that would be it for me.

Garmr would have me.

Dead or alive he said. It didn’t matter. My life… it didn’t matter. But it did matter to Jared, that was obvious and well, it mattered to me too, so I knew it was now or never. Which was why I still gripped onto the helmet in my fallen hand, one neither of them had noticed yet. So, I decided to continue my submissive act and tell Jared the second he took a step forward,

“Please don’t… It’s okay, just let him take me…”

“Yeah, listen to your bitch, dog!” the guy snarled at my back, and the closer I was pulled, I knew my time was running out. So, I looked into that pair of glowing silver eyes that promised blood and death, just waiting for the time he didn’t know I was about to give him.

“Hey Beastman, it’s just like when the eagle took you.” Then I let my eyes drop to my hand, knowing he would get the hint as I gripped it tighter and then I mouthed,

‘One, Two… Three.’

After this I swung the helmet up so hard, I felt the prick of his claws cut my neck as they scraped back. But I didn’t care as the damage had already been done to both sides. At the very least it was enough to knock him backward so that he lost his hold on me and at the same time, I dropped to my knees, rolling away as Jared burst out of his vessel back into his HellBeast.

A God almighty roar echoed in the night and the vibration ripped through trees as he leapt straight into the guy, doing this so quickly, he didn’t even have time to scream. Not as Jared made his earlier threat ring true. As for me, I crawled away, half clutching my throat, feeling my hand come back wet and hissing through the pain. Eventually, I only got so far when I finally collapsed on the floor as the last of the adrenaline ran dry, leaving me like a wave had just crashed into me and took all that was left now the threat was over.

And with it…

It drowned me in darkness.

26

SO RIGHT IT’S WRONG

It was strange.

This darkness felt weirdly comforting and I couldn’t understand why. Nor could I explain the continuous sensation I felt at my neck, like something wet and slightly raspy was swiping across it, over and over again. Was it a wet cloth and if so, why? What had happened?

My mind began to kick start the memories needed to make sense of any of this and the second it did, I startled, and my eyes snapped open. Then it took me another few seconds to understand what I was seeing and why there was now a HellBeast face inches from mine. Oh, yeah and he was licking at my neck.

Then that’s when I remembered what had happened. The bike’s tyres bursting before skidding out of control. The protective shield that surrounded me. The sight of a HellBeast above me.

But then came the horrors that followed.

The Vampires.

The Demons.

The Hellish creatures.

It all came back to me, including how I got my neck cut as talons sliced across my tender skin just enough to break it, but thankfully not enough to cut too deep. But if that was the case, then why did I pass out? A question I would have asked Jared had he not been in his Beastie form and currently making a meal out of licking me clean.

Something I knew he must have been reluctant to stop doing as when I tried to move away, he made his displeasure known. Hence why I stopped when a soft, rumbled growl warned me not to move. So, I was left with no other option than to let Jared’s Beast continue to lick at my wounds as he stood over me. I felt completely caged in by his powerful body, every inch of it capable of such brutality, yet it was now as confusing as hell experiencing such gentle care. It was such a profound moment that it had me feelings things I couldn’t explain, like the shameful arousal that had me near squirming beneath him.

Oh, and he didn’t miss it.

I knew that when he suddenly stopped and lifted his head back, one that was bigger than my entire torso. He lifted it enough so he could look down at me, this time making a sound that admittedly scared the crap out of me as much as it excited me. A purr that was so deep it wouldn’t have surprised me to have seen it come straight from the core of him. As if some glowing light started in his belly and rose up his chest and neck under the rippling fur.

Now where did that thought just come from?

However, this thought quickly left me the second he lowered his head, shifting himself backwards so he could make that journey over my body, sniffing down the length of me. I froze at both the action and the way his purring deepened, getting louder and louder the lower he got until he reached his destination. I couldn’t help but flinch the second his wide nose made contact with that intimate place, and another jolt of lust slammed into me.

God, but it felt so wrong and so damn right at the same time it was making my head spin. I knew I should pull away or at least try and get from beneath him. But then, as if he could sense this last bit of doubt, he growled a warning for me to be still beneath him. I was terrified and Jesus, that was only adding to turning me on even more!

What the fuck was wrong with me!?

Here we were, on the side of the road, carnage all around us, and here I was with my legs spread and a Demonic HellBeast close to getting me off just by having his face in my crotch! I was just glad that this was a quiet road, or I dreaded to think the mortal shit storm that would happen should someone happen to come across this crazy scene. Say someone like, little Mrs Cleveland, who decided that tonight of all nights would be the one where she would get in her Ford Pinto for a drive and miss Friday night bingo with her sister Margo for the very first time in her life.

Yeah, I really couldn’t allow this to happen… whatever the Hell was actually happening right now!

“Jared,” I whispered, trying to get his attention, when suddenly I felt him licking at what must have been a scratch in my jeans as the sting thankfully jolted me from the lust. But then, seconds after realizing my gloves were gone, I stupidly thought reaching out to touch him was a good idea. Doing so and clearly forgetting this wasn’t some tame lion ready to do tricks on stage for the famous double act, Siegfried & Roy.

The hardened fur rippled beneath my fingertips, making me lift my hand quickly from the top of his head. However, what I had thought was a warning noise was actually a purr that deepened, and I soon found him butting my hand as if he wanted more.

He liked my touch.

Christ, now I was getting turned on for an entirely different reason as the experience was as crazy as it was powerful. I could barely believe that I was getting to experience his HellBeast side this close up, let alone actually touching him! I knew from seeing him fight that this was the softer side to him, if such a thing was possible. But then my worries of the rest of the world invading in this strange and very private moment must have entered his HellBeast mind too as soon as he finished licking the scrape on my leg. One which I must have got when I came off the bike. Because after this, he started to change back into the man I knew and admittedly, loved.

Which meant that a very different type of Beast was holding himself above me and this time, there was not one damn thing wrong with the way I felt! Not with the way those silver depths gazed down at me, making me want to squirm for the same reason I had when his Beast had me held captive like this… A reason that was no less powerful.

I didn’t know how long it was he stared down at me, and with so many emotions written there it was hard to pinpoint just one. But then, before I even had a chance to break the moment with my voice, he got there first, starting with the way he suddenly buried his face in my neck.

“Fuck, Ella… babe, please… please put me out of my fucking misery and worry and tell me you’re alright… tell me you’re alright, baby?” I sucked in a deep breath at this before wrapping my arms around his neck and lifting myself up enough to lean into it. Then I nodded before telling him,

“Only if you will tell me the same, Beastman.” At this he tensed for only second before growling out against my skin, this time doing so with what I knew was pleasure.

He liked it.

“I was so Gods be damned worried, babe,” he admitted, and once again, it shot straight to my heart.

“I know, me too,” I whispered back, trying to keep a tight rein on my emotions.

“You were worried for me…? Fuck Ella, when I saw… and when the bike… fuck! But I should have reacted… I should have fucking killed them all before they got to you… I should have…”

“Hey, stop.” I interrupted his self-chastisement, hating every negative word. He pulled back enough to look down at me when I raised a hand to his cheek,

“You saved me,” I told him, only the second he opened his lips to dispute the way this happened, I covered his bearded mouth.

“You. Saved. Me,” I stated more firmly this time, making him release a heavy weighted sigh before nodding, knowing I wouldn’t have been happy until he believed what I was saying. In the end, he let his forehead drop to my chest, still managing to keep most of his weight off me with those impressive muscles of his that kept me caged beneath him.

“Baby,” he whispered, making me unable to stop myself from running my hands through his wild hair, pushing it back with my fingers running through his scalp. His rumble of approval was soon followed by a warning.

“Fuck, that feels good, babe, but you gotta stop before I lose my shit and end up fucking my girl and claiming her by the side of the fucking road surrounded by dead fuckers.”

“That’s a lot of fucks, and not in a good way, Beastman,” I commented, making him laugh.

“Speaking of fucks, but fuck, I missed my funny girl.” I couldn’t help but grin at this.

“You good?” he asked, scanning down the length of me and when he started with my neck, I knew what he meant.

“All healed, Doctor, super saliva.” At this he scoffed but still, he smirked all the same. Then he shifted off me, impressing me with his grace at such a move, as he didn’t even touch me when doing so. Next, I was plucked off the ground and the second I was standing upright, with a face full of my own wild hair, all dazed, I felt his hands push it all back. Then he told me,

“If you liked that, then it’s my super sperm you really want to try next.” He finished with a wink, and my look of shock had him quickly chuckling. This he was still doing when he walked over to his battered bike that lay on its side all scratched to hell and bent. Any witty retort I would have said was gone in a second as I ran over to it, catching up with him.

“Oh no!” I shouted, making him shoot me a look of concern.

“What? It’s your favourite bike and was a gift from your brother,” I said, and he gave me a soft look in return. Then he hooked his fingers into my waistband and tugged me forward until I practically fell into him. After this he embedded his fingers through my hairline from behind my ear, and used it to tip my head back.

“I know another gift that could make it better,” he rumbled down at me, making my eyes grow wide.

“We can’t do that here,” I exclaimed, and he looked shocked for a heartbeat before he realized I had got my sexual wires crossed.

“A kiss, babe… I want a kiss, so give me your mouth.” This was when he started to dip lower, and I couldn’t help but add,

“Erm, it’s not that kissing you right now wouldn’t be on my top ten list of great ideas. However, I feel like at least one of us should point out that we are standing in the middle of the road, of what I think we have gathered by now is a hazardous blind bend, and adding to the shit we just endured, getting hit by a car would royally suck ass.” At this he burst out laughing before telling me,

“Don’t worry, Red, the only people heading our way are my men.” At this I jerked back in shock and asked,

“They are?”

“Communicated with my brother the second our asses left the bike, clean-up crew is on their way, although his hope of beating the shit out of one of them for information is out.” I looked back at the carnage, about to comment when he shifted his head in my line of vision, telling me,

“Seen enough, babe, don’t want any more of that shit for you, so eyes on me, Red.” My eyes snapped back to his as I did as I was told, and this continued when he rumbled,

“Now, you gonna give me what I asked for?”

“Erm…”

“Your mouth, babe, give me your mouth,” he stated, interrupting me and making my toes want to curl at the dominant growl. Of course, I could have pointed out that this didn’t really constitute as asking but more like demanding.

Yet despite this, it was something I did give him.

Gladly.

Which meant that the moment his lips found mine, I swear my toes did actually curl and for the umpteenth inappropriate time, I was so turned on I actually moaned in his mouth. But then, that was the power of Jared’s kiss, one that clearly hadn’t been my last back on that clearing like I thought.

Shortly after this, his men turned up just like he said they would, starting with his brother skidding to a stop before kicking out his stand in clear frustration. Then he stormed over to us both and after placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder, in what was clearly an ‘I’ve been worried as fuck and know you’re a hard ass brother, but I’m still glad you’re okay’ way of greeting. Then he looked to me and said,

“You good, Cookie?”

“Yeah, Orth, I’m good,” I said, leaning into Jared, who had his arm around me and hadn’t let me leave his side after kissing me until I swear, I was going to either orgasm or, like I said, toe curly thing… and clearly only one of those I would have opted for, as eww, who wanted to look like the bottom end of the Witch from Wizard of Oz?

“Fuck me, Brother, but you sure know how to create roadkill… and I see you didn’t leave me anything living to play with,” Orthrus complained, making me shudder.

“It was close, Orth,” Jared said, communicating something to him that I suspected was about me, as I felt his gaze on me.

“Right,” his brother replied in a short, tense way. He was clearly pissed about the whole thing. And as if to prove my point for both brothers…

“Fucking pissed about my bike,” Jared said, looking back to the damaged metal and chrome.

“I will get it to my guy, I don’t trust one of us having a go,” Orth said cryptically, making me wonder if they were mechanics.

“I’m good with a welder and paint jobs if that helps,” I said, making Jared stare down at me and give me soft, tender look before squeezing me tighter to his side, telling Orth,

“Yeah, that she is and if she is ever in a garage working, then do me a favour and don’t let anyone with a dick within a ten-mile fucking radius of the place.”

“Oi!” I shouted, making Jared reply,

“Babe, I wasn’t joking when I called you a biker’s fucking wet dream.” At this I smirked before saying,

“Okay, well hazmat suit it is then.” At this he grumbled down at me,

“You buy it, babe, I burn it.” At this his brother burst out laughing and then reminded us,

“Well, as funny as fuck as this is, shouldn’t you be somewhere already?” At this I released a sigh and Jared smirked.

“Yeah, which means taking your bike.” Orth rolled his eyes but tossed him the keys anyway.

“Don’t fucking crash it,” he warned, making Jared grin.

“Red agrees to fix it and quits with this hazmat shit, then I make no promises, Brother.” At this Orth laughed again as Jared started to lead me off towards his brother’s bike, one that wasn’t that dissimilar to the one Jared owned. However, the flames on the side were definitely more obvious, along with the painted, snarling beast on the top of the tank.

“Yeah, well don’t worry about this shit, we will deal with it… and I might even take my fucking time as pencil dick is bitchin’ about controlling the mortal situation from so far away… callin’ it draining,” Orthrus said with a roll of his eyes. But this ended up answering my question as to why Jared didn’t seem to have any concerns about the ‘mortal population’ innocently driving into this Immortal shit storm. And speaking of shit storms…

“So where should we be exactly?” I asked when my hopes were dashed of him simply taking me home, as his answer came with a knowing grin that terrified me.

“Only one place next, babe. Time to take you to…”

“…Afterlife.”

27

BANKING ON THE BLUFF

The moment I saw Afterlife come into view I couldn’t help but hold on tighter. I was also now minus a helmet, which was why I couldn’t hold back anymore from resting my head side-on against his back. Then I watched the dark world as it flew past, wishing more than all else that the road would never end. But end it did, and it was one that marked a finale in so many ways, other than just when the huge, old building was facing us.

The house, if you could even call it that, looked like some stately home being taken over and eaten by an ivy monster. A blanket of lush green that was draped over half of it, with holes cut out for the grand arched windows situated above where I knew the bar was inside. This meant that you could see the glow of club lights flashing across the panes of glass, as the lasers danced with the music faintly heard from inside.

As for the rest of the frontage, it was an impressive building made from large, thick stone blocks that, despite being weathered, still held that look of grandeur. A sweeping driveway ran from one side of the house and joined with the vast, open parking lot that was surrounded by the forest. An army of tall pine trees that framed the other side of the building created an ominous feeling, as though there was no escaping once inside. Of course, this most likely had something to do with the sheer drop on the other side of the forest, as Afterlife was built on top of a cliff face.

As for the part that we would soon be walking through, the main entrance was just as imposing as the rest, thanks to the huge stone archway that acted as a vestibule, one that jutted out from the main doors. Big, thick, ornate black gates were currently secured wide open allowing access to the grand, carved wooden doors. In fact, there wasn’t a single thing about the outside that even remotely resembled it being a nightclub. Well, other than the constant flow of moving lights in the windows that was.

But whereas once upon a time, it may have been a place I had wanted to spend my time growing up in, now all I wanted to do was run. Of course, Jared knew this. Especially considering I was making it obvious that I didn’t want to get off the bike. One, he wasn’t stupid and two, even a stupid person would know why I tightened my grip the second he parked the bike and cut the engine.

“Come on, Red, let’s get this over with,” he said, but that was where he was wrong, as only I knew that we were both here for very different reasons. His, was for a future together he believed would start the moment we left here hand in hand and for me…

This was my final goodbye.

I hated what we had just been though together, but I hated it even more knowing what awaited him after it. Because for Jared, it was only going to look like another betrayal… my betrayal. Yet despite how much I wanted this, wanted him, I knew I had to stay true to my decision. I had to let him go. Or more like force him to let me go, as I knew he was not going to make it easy. But then, that’s why I had agreed to come here…

I knew someone who would.

My uncle.

The very same King that he was counting on getting his blessing from… after, of course, I had first accepted Jared’s claim to own me. Christ, but it felt like my heart was in my throat and my stomach was filled with rocks. Which was why I momentarily lost my nerve as he shifted to get off the bike, making me grab hold of him and say,

“Let’s just go.”

“What?” he whispered the question, clearly shocked.

“Let’s just start up the bike and keep riding, if only for a little while longer… please?” At this I heard him sigh before I felt his shoulders slump, as if something in this affected him. Then he tapped my leg and said,

“Come on, Red, off you get.” I quickly swallowed down my disappointment before doing as I was told. However, my reward for this happened once both my feet were on the ground. As the second after he kicked the stand out, he pulled me into him, wrapping both his arms around my lower back and locking them there. Then he told me,

“You need to trust me now, Ella.”

“I do,” I told him, making him shake his head down at me as if he didn’t believe this.

“No, baby, you don’t, but you will,” he confirmed firmly, making me frown in confusion.

“What do you mean by that… what are you planning, Jared?” I asked in a fearful tone.

“Only that when I make a Claim, it’s the kind that sticks, but you will see. Nothing is gonna take you from me, not even your uncle,” he told me, making me shiver in his hold and for some reason, he smirked at this, causing me to wonder if he thought it was for some other reason.

“You’re not worried?” I asked, again testing the unknown waters here, as I always thought that my uncle was head honcho and what he said goes.

Did I have it all wrong?

“Do I look worried, Kitten?” he asked with a cocky grin that had me bypassing fearful and pushed me straight into being outright terrified. Something he seemed to ignore completely, as I felt his hand leave my back before curling around my wrist and shackling it. This being done as if he was silently telling me that I was going nowhere. Because I had to admit, the pit in my stomach was now growing for a whole new reason.

Something that continued as I was walked into the club, one that was in full swing just like it was every other Friday night. But then this wasn’t exactly surprising, not seeing as it was the busiest place in this town. Of course, the doormen both knew me, seeing that I was related both to its owner and their boss, who had been recruiting security for my uncle’s club even before he met my aunty. The two guys were a bit older than me, one of which who was son of the previous doorman, Cameron. But I had also seen them at my father’s annual work’s BBQ that my parents threw every year for them and their families.

“Hey Phil, Danny, how’s life treating you? Still not driving that boring as shit Prius, are you?” I joked after they had both looked to Jared and hadn’t even tried to hide the fact that he was an intimidating sight to behold. And this coming from guys that were no slouch in the muscle department themselves. But then that was the power of Jared, as it wasn’t just his size that had you taking note of the hidden threat there ready to pounce. It was everything.

“Ella girl, not seen you for years!” Danny said, ignoring the tease about his car. As for Phil, who was always the quieter of the two, he simply nodded my way. At this, Jared’s hand slipped down to my own and tightened.

“And nor will you for many more, now open the fucking door!” Jared growled rudely, making me screech his name,

“Jared!”

“My Ella girl!” he all but snarled sarcastically, mocking what was nothing more than a friendly greeting. As for Phil, he must have thought better of pissing off Jared any more than he clearly was, as he quickly opened the door. This also made me wonder if they knew him to be someone important here in Afterlife. Either way, neither commented as Jared practically dragged me inside like some insane club addict.

“What the hell is your problem?!” I snapped, ripping my hand from his and ignoring all the looks we were getting. Although, I had to say that Jared was definitely getting more than I was, as well, his hotness was off the scale. Clearly, girls could scent it in the air just like sharks could blood in the water.

“My problem is being forced to watch assholes I don’t know flirting with my woman!” he shouted back.

“Oh okay, so should I ask all those imaginary flirty men to do it when you’re not around then?” I asked sarcastically, which as soon as his gaze narrowed and his eyes flickered that glow of silver, I knew it was the wrong thing to say.

“Careful, Sweetheart, for that’s a dangerous game you play.”

“Oh my God, I was being sarcastic, Beastman, hence the word ‘imaginary’ I clearly used,” I said, using my fingers to add the quotation marks that he obviously didn’t appreciate.

“Yeah, and you know what wasn’t ‘imaginary’ Red…?” he said, using my quotations back at me in a mocking way before telling me,

“…My woman flirting with a guy whose eyes are practically poppin’ out their fucking skull and near ready to fall over himself he was so fucking happy to see you!” At this I jerked back, continued to ignore the audience we clearly had and hissed,

“What?”

“You heard, Red, he was practically eye fuckin’ you!” he snapped, making me hiss back,

“You’re fucking crazy!”

“Yeah, for you, I fucking am. Fucking crazy for my beautiful woman, so excuse me for protectin’ what’s mine!” he snapped back, and I had to say, it was as nice to hear as it wasn’t. Plus, I only just noticed that when riled up like this, his English accent came out much stronger. In fact, it would have been cute had it not been coming from someone sitting on the crazy train on his way to Batshit Crazyville, hence why I was insane enough to tell him,

“You know, you would be cute right now if your crazy wasn’t getting in the way.”

“What the fuck? I’m not fucking cute!” he denied after first jerking back a little, as if shocked by what I’d just said. In fact, it would have been comical had the situation been different and I wasn’t still sitting on the side of the pissed off fence. And well, because I was way up there at this furious point, I clearly wanted him there too, which was why I told him,

“Yeah… You. Are.” I whispered firmly, getting closer to his face by pushing onto my tiptoes.

“You’re fuckin’ nuts if you think I’m cute, Red,” he said, gritting his teeth, and I tried not to smirk at this. Hell, I tried not to burst out laughing at the look of utter disgust on his face at being called cute. I mean, Jesus, anyone would have thought I had just called him ugly!

“In fact, you keep acting irrationally jealous and getting all riled up about every guy that says hello to me, then I am gonna’ have to change your name from Beastman to Cutie pie.” At this his eyes heated even more and the second I saw that playful little twitch grace his lips, I knew the crazy shitstorm had passed.

Or at least I thought it had.

“You wanna play with me, Red, is that it?” he tested, making me shrug as my only reply.

“You think I won’t put you over my shoulder and embarrass the shit out of you as punishment because your uncle’s upstairs?” he threatened, making me confident enough that he wouldn’t, so I stupidly played his bluff.

“No puppy… I don’t,” I said, making yet another mistake of the day, the first being not asking my uncle to borrow his private jet and taking me to Tibet so that I could do that Monk thing… After all, I heard it was supposed to be peaceful. What it wasn’t, was standing in the middle of a Gothic nightclub owned by my uncle and faced with an unmoveable HellBeast King locked in a showdown battle of wills. One that I knew I was going to lose. And I knew this the second he simply shook his head and said calmly,

“Remember, you asked for this, Kitten.”

“Asked for wha…AH!” This stupid question ended in a shriek of shock, as the moment he made a grab for me, I was forced to run. Which also meant that a pounding heartbeat later, he made his next move. Meaning I had barely even turned around to run, when I was grabbed, spun and hoisted up over his shoulder… in the middle of my uncle’s club!

“Fuck, Jared, put me down!” I hissed as I lifted myself up enough against him so I could see more than just his back. Which meant that I couldn’t help but see two things, the first, was the way the sea of people parted for him and the second, was that half of them now looked close to bloody swooning, fainting to the floor!

“And why would I do that when you look so cute up there?” he said, as if reminding me of exactly the reason I was up there.

“Okay, okay, point taken… now put me down!” I tried again, pulling up and clawing at his sexy leather jacket that he had made materialize back somehow shortly after turning back into the Jared I knew. One I had no clue how he accomplished, all I could say was that it looked like pure magic. Then, once I managed to find skin, I tried pinching him.

“Mmm, now that tickles, babe,” he told me, making me groan in both frustration and annoyance before rolling my eyes, when one girl actually started fanning herself in a dramatic show of appreciation in front of her friends, making me snap,

“Really!?” She smirked and shouted back as I was carried away,

“Hey, enjoy the ride, honey, fuck knows I would!” Jared started chuckling at this, making me say,

“Laugh it up, Beastman, and let’s see how long it lasts up there!” I said, referring to the VIP.

“Well, I see my cute, little ginger kitten has learned her lesson if she’s callin’ me Beastman again.”

“Yeah whatever, just put me down,” I said, thinking he would at this point, but I was wrong. I knew that when he just patted my ass and said,

“Nah, I think I like you where you are.” Then I cried out in both shock and outrage when he nipped at my ass with his teeth. This attracted even more attention from the clubbers with them cheering him on, making him chuckle.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this!” I complained.

“Shouldn’t have called my bluff, baby,” he told me as he cut through the entire distance of the club in long, sure footsteps. Because soon we were making our way up the main staircase after being nodded through by my uncle’s security men. Then, right in front of the top table and as if he didn’t give a single shit in the world, he dragged me forward down the length of him and said,

“Cause you gotta know by now, Red…”

“I never bluff.”

28

AFTERLIFE DECISIONS

“Oh yeah, ‘cause that’s gonna help.” I heard my uncle’s sister Sophia comment dryly, and clearly in reference to the way Jared had just carried me over his shoulder up to the VIP. Of course, she wasn’t the only one who had an opinion on this, as suddenly my uncle’s deep voice was adding to the embarrassing scene we had just made.

“What is the meaning of this, HellBeast!?” I slowly swung my head toward the top of the largest table the VIP held, which I knew now held my uncle’s council.

That wasn’t all it held, as not only were Sophia and my aunty Kaz sitting either side of my uncle Dom, but there was also Pip and her husband Adam. A handsome man who wore a dicky bow and looked more suited to working in a library or as some college professor, than being in this gothic setting.

Of course, being that he was sitting next to his wife, was contrast enough to make him look out of place, as she was like a living rainbow, practically bouncing in her seat. Her polka dot swing style dress looked cute as hell on her, but it also took me a moment to realise the rainbow of spots were actually emoji faces dotted on a white background. To add to this crazy style, she wore a pair of fluffy bunny ears that she had pierced with large neon-pink hoop earrings and on her neck she wore a series of pink and green plastic chains that matched her pigtail curly hair. Mad glow in the dark makeup completed the insane look that totally suited her.

As for the VIP room, it was most definitely bigger than it looked from downstairs, as it went much further back than the space below did. But it wasn’t the only thing deceiving about the VIP, as naturally it wasn’t filled with the uber rich businessmen and half-dressed models the rumours would have most locals believe it did.

No, it was filled with some of the world’s most powerful Demons and Angels. Beings that were now dotted around the comfortable and luxurious gothic setting, surrounded by expensive metal artwork on the stone walls and lush dark fabrics on plush seating. In some way it mirrored the club downstairs, with its deep blood reds, rich velvety purples and dark wood accents. Metal also played a big theme, mainly with the artwork of bent iron vines and silver roses that curled their way across the bar. Thick, heavy, metal lanterns also matched this theme as they both lit up sections of the stone walls above the booth seating, as well as up here in the VIP, only here replacing the flicking bulbs with actual candlelight. But the most impressive aspect of the place was most definitely its intricate carved stone cathedral style ceilings that were a series of interlocking arches.

I couldn’t image what my aunt had thought of the place when she first came here to work. Intimidating wasn’t a strong enough word in my opinion. As for now, well she looked as beautiful as ever, sitting there in her shimmering purple gown, one that matched the shirt and tie my uncle wore under his black suit jacket. But what shocked me the most was that now I knew their secret and the fact they didn’t age, they no longer kept up that veil of looking older than they were. Which was why I sucked in a quick breath, seeing them now looking more my age, with my aunt being admittedly, slightly younger.

They were both breathtaking.

My aunt had the shiniest blonde hair I had ever seen, making it look like liquid gold cascading down one side of her body in a twist of gathered curls. Her knowing blue-grey gaze was taking in the sight of us and I had to say, the lack of concern there was at least helping my frayed nerves.

As for my uncle, his handsome face was near set in stone as he too took in the sight of me in Jared’s arms, reminding me of some God ready to strike fear into the hearts of men that dared disobey him. The once greying hair was now as black as a raven’s wings, with his furious gaze just as dark.

There was also the stunning Sophia, in her sleek midnight blue dress and her styled black curly hair that matched that of her brother’s. The King and Queen weren’t the only ones to let their veil of deception drop. Her husband, Zagan, was sitting by her side, and admittedly was someone I didn’t know very well. And even if you didn’t know a single thing about their secret immortal world you would have questioned him being of this earth, just from the way he looked. Like some kind of Fae being, one that was tattooed down one side of his face. He, like most of them, was handsome, although in a different way, being an albino. He was also on the slimmer side, as he was more sleek grace with all that pale skin covering a body of toned muscle. As for Vincent, who I knew was my uncle’s brother, his handsome angelic face was, strangely, nowhere to be seen.

There was also another man I knew as being named Takeshi, who sat next to him and was clearly of Japanese descent. As for my uncle’s main muscle who was standing on guard, he was the scariest of them all, as he was at least seven feet tall and looked like he ate wrestlers three times a day. He was a freakin’ beast in a scarred human body. His hard face was marred by pitted skin, and this hard-ass look was embellished by wearing his hair in a shaved mohawk. But this massive guy wasn’t the only heavy muscle my uncle kept around in the form of VIP security. Meaning in a nutshell, I now wondered if Jared hadn’t truly lost his mind.

“King of Kings,” Jared replied, bowing his head slightly, doing so once and showing him enough respect that he acknowledged who my uncle was, but not enough to back down from what my uncle had demanded of him. No, Jared was clearly keeping his cards close to his chest until he felt the need to share that hand with others.

“I must say, you have a lot of nerve walking in here at all after the message you sent me via my damaged men, let alone the…”

“…The Chosen I came with,” Jared finished, making my uncle raise a questioning brow.

“From where I am standing, Jared, I would say kidnapped is more appropriate,” his King said in return, making me flinch at the implication.

“She is far from being my prisoner, Dom,” Jared replied in a confident tone, making me want the world to swallow me whole, or at least let them forget about me entirely so I could bail before anyone noticed.

“Oh, and carrying her in here over your shoulder proves that fact, does it?” he pointed out. Jared laughed before making his own point.

“Call it a King thing, for I find it hard to believe you haven’t partaken in this desire at least once or twice with your own unruly Queen.” At this my aunt quickly covered her husband’s mouth and threatened,

“Don’t you dare answer that.” The rest around the table sniggered at this, with only my uncle unable to do so. However, he must have nipped playfully at her hand, as she let go mouthing a silent ‘oww’. He then kissed it, giving her a heated look before mouthing back a sweet and teasing,

‘Baby.’ After this he turned his attention back to us both and said,

“Fine I will give you that, HellBeast, but now it is time you gave me something in return.”

“Like what?” Jared asked, quickly gaining the response he didn’t want to hear.

“Like the freedom for my niece to walk away.” I sucked in a deep breath, one that was caught the second Jared removed his jacket, as if readying himself for trouble. Then, after he threw it to an empty chair, I watched Jared take a stand in front of me, now keeping hold of me with his arm twisted behind him.

“I am only here for one thing, King, and giving you your niece back isn’t even an option I’m willing to discuss,” Jared stated firmly and even I could tell, he did so forcibly holding back the growl that his HellBeast wanted to end that with.

“Draven, can’t we just…” My auntie tried when her husband shot her a look, silently interrupting her before voicing exactly what he thought Jared should just do.

“We can discuss most things, Jared Cerberus, and having you at the table of the Kings for near thirty years is the only reason you still stand there a free man, something that can change should you choose to continue down this precarious path.” My uncle’s threat rang loud and clear. However, if I thought hearing this would change Jared’s tactics then I was wrong, because without even an ounce of doubt coating his words, he said,

“Precarious or not, I would not be the King I am today nor the right man for Ella should I think anything could prevent me from following through with what I am here to tell you, something that will then be followed by my actions, you have my word on that, King of Kings.”

“And that is?” my uncle asked with a single, disapproving brow raised.

“I am here to state my claim for your niece. The Fates have spoken and blessed me by declaring her to be my Chosen One.” At this I gasped and couldn’t help the way my uncle tensed, visibly clenching his jaw. Then he took a moment to process this grand gesture before replying,

“And if my blessing isn’t given?”

“You mistake me if you think I need it and that’s the only reason I am here,” Jared told him, in nothing less than an ‘I don’t give a shit what you think you can do’ kind of way.

“You’ve got balls, HellBeast, I will give you that.” This was most definitely a sentiment that my uncle and I clearly shared, as I was close to saying the same thing.

“Yeah, so I have been told,” Jared said wryly.

“Then I am curious, why are you here?”

“To show you enough respect in the hope that you will do the same for the Fates and their choice on who was granted to me, despite what she means to you both,” Jared replied without missing a beat, and I swear I was close to stamping my foot and reminding them I was actually in the room, now doing a whole 360 on wishing the world would swallow me up.

“She is very dear to us indeed.” I couldn’t help but grant my uncle and aunt a tender look at this response.

“Yes, but she means more to me, hence why when I walk out of here, I will be taking her with me,” the blockhead, stubborn ass, HellBeast said, making me want to groan out loud.

“You were always very arrogant, Jared, but even for you, that’s taking your presumptuous nature to another level… a dangerous one,” my uncle warned, no matter how subtle the first part sounded.

“It’s not so presumptuous when its laws are set by the Gods themselves, as even you have rules to obey, Dom, which means that I come here now not so much of a fool as you insinuate me to be, and you know it… the girl is mine.” This time Jared did growl as this last part was nothing short of a threat, giving my uncle his own warning.

“The girl is also my niece, HellBeast.” This time when my uncle replied, my aunt placed her hand over his, trying to silently calm him and prevent his temper from exploding.

“Well, if it helps, I still live in hope of doing this without your niece witnessing bloodshed,” Jared said in a nonchalant tone, one that had my mouth dropping when he even shrugged his shoulders.

“I think you’re forgetting the most important part here, Cerberus.”

“And that is?” Jared asked in a calm and almost disinterested way.

“The girl is mortal and therefore is granted free will, just like the rest of humanity.” At this I finally saw Jared lose some of his cool confidence, especially when he felt me tense at his back. I then watched as he slowly turned to face me, and this was when I couldn’t help the shake of my head as tears started to form.

“Ella?” The way he said my name, God, but it was so painful all I wanted to do was run from it. Which was why I had no choice but at the very least to close my eyes, needing that little bit of escape. But then the moment I felt him reach back for me, they snapped open, and I crossed the line now set by my uncle by taking a step away from him. His eyes instantly narrowed and every muscle tensed as if ready to pounce.

“I’m… I’m so… so sorry, Jared,” I whispered, painfully stumbling on the gravity of my words.

“So, there you have it, Jared, I think you will find my niece has spoken and made her position on this Claim of yours perfectly clear. Now it is time for you to leave,” my uncle said, but Jared wasn’t listening. No, instead he just turned to face me fully and said my name again, as if this would help in making sense of what was happening now.

“Ella?” I again was left shaking my head and told him,

“You just… just need to… to… go, Jared,” I forced out painfully, trying to spare him from being physically removed and igniting that bloodshed he had spoken of.

“You’re making a mistake, Red,” he stated, gritting his teeth, and again, I told him no, before trying to make him see sense.

“No, Jared, I made a mistake before, but this… you can’t see it now, but this is me trying to rectify that mistake.” At this I saw the instant the pain I caused roll over him, as now he was the one to close his eyes, escaping the truth I tried to get him to see.

“I grant you one more warning, HellBeast, leave now or you know what will happen,” my uncle said, making me silently plead with Jared with my look of desperation. Because all I could feel now was a pit in my stomach for a whole new reason…

What would my uncle do?

Well, I was about to find out because Jared had made his decision and I knew from that hard set of his jaw that it was the wrong one. He nodded once to me and muttered,

“So be it, Ella… so be it.” Then he turned around to face my uncle and told him,

“I will not leave without my Claimed and niece or no niece, she is the one Chosen for me by the Fates. So do as you must, Dom, but what you do now, you do so knowing that you are breaking the law of the Gods… or have you forgotten, old King, what happened the last time you tried to deny the Fates of their prophecy?” At this my uncle exploded out of his seat, banging an angry fist down on his table and cracking it clean down the middle. I let out a yelp of fright, stumbling away a few steps, shocked by the sight of my uncle so furious.

“Dom!”

“Draven!” Both women in his life shouted, with neither one getting him to back down.

“Guards!” my uncle roared, and suddenly I found myself pulled back further as Jared was surrounded in seconds.

“Jared, no!” I shouted, but it was too late as he found weapons from all sides now pointed at his throat.

“Shackle him and take him down to the prison and throw his ass in a cell!” my uncle ordered, making me cry out,

“No please!” Of course I was ignored and was forced to watch as his hands were pulled behind his back as a pair of heavy iron restraints were put on him. Cuffs that I only briefly recognized as being different than simple restraints as they were etched with strange, weird markings.

“Dom, he is a King,” Sophia argued, making my uncle snarl back,

“Yes, and he is one that threatens my blood!”

“He is also one that holds a claim, Draven!” my aunt snapped, making him reply sternly,

“One not returned, or would you see our niece forced into such a union and thrown merciless to the fates of our world?” I ignored this in sight of Jared now being walked away, making me wonder why he didn’t fight them… was it to save me the painful sight?

But then why did he also seem to look directly at my aunt as if conveying some secret message before subtly nodding his head. Either way, I didn’t care as I couldn’t just let this happen without trying something. So, I tugged my way free of whoever held me and quickly ran to him, forcing my way through by taking them off guard.

“JARED!” I shouted his name, making him turn to me, having little time to brace as I threw myself into him, now latching on where he was unable to do so in return.

“Jared! God, I am so sorry… so, so sorry… I didn’t want this… I didn’t…” I sobbed with my head to his chest as the weight of my heartbreak was one now too heavy to hold.

“You were saying, Draven?” my aunt commented in an angry tone, one no doubt directed at her husband, but honestly, I was no longer listening. No, I was busy still begging his forgiveness.

“I never wanted this… I never wanted… God, but I only ever wanted you… you to… to… live free… live happy… I… I… only ever wanted… but it’s not me… I know that… Lerna… I know…” In the end I could get out no more and he knew it.

“Ella, baby, look at me,” he told me softly, and I did as he asked, unable to deny him this. Then he placed his forehead down to mine, and whispered,

“Just remember… There are no goodbyes for us, Ella.” I sucked in a startled breath before releasing it on a sob as he was suddenly torn away from me.

“No… please… I… didn’t want this… I didn’t want him locked up… please…!” I turned to my uncle who now stood, watching the whole scene with folded arms and a stern look of questioning painted on his handsome face. However, my aunt had obviously had enough and pushed him aside a little as he ignored my pleas, and she ran towards me. Then, without taking my eyes from my uncle, whose immoveable rule was still being proven as Jared was escorted by no less than ten men to the back doors of the club, I felt my aunt’s arms envelope me.

However, my eyes never left the King of Kings.

And his…

Never left that of an imprisoned HellBeast King.

29

A KING’S FOOLISH HEART

JARED

I had to admit, that calmly letting myself get taken down into the depths of Afterlife went against the grain. So much so that it went against every instinct inside of me to the point that it became a battle of wills between myself and the Beast, as both of us had to fight to control ourselves. However, that Hellish part of me wasn’t as mindful of our situation as I was. Therefore, not only did I have to fight against my own desire to kill the ones that had taken me away from her, but also, I had to fight against the Beast who simply wanted to wage war in order to get her back. But control him I did, as I knew that if my plan was going to work, then this part of it would first have to happen.

Yet despite this, I also had to admit to the pain that cut deep by her refusal of me. The fact that after all that had happened between us, she still didn’t trust me enough to accept my claim, just like I suspected she wouldn’t all this time. So, even though I wasn’t shocked, after already bracing myself for it, that didn’t mean the disappointment I felt in her denying her own heart, along with mine, was any less painful.

Hence my plan.

One that needed me to walk inside this cell as soon as the door was opened and Ragnar, the King’s head of security and strongest bloodline of Devourers, ensured I went in there with no trouble caused to his men. I even turned around and allowed them to re cuff my hands to the front, so when they chained me to the wall, it was done so my arms were attached to the wall above me.

Of course, little did they all know that I went in there willingly and of my own accord for my own benefit. Just like after I walked inside, I allowed myself to be restrained, knowing they would hold. This was thanks to the powerful casting runes etched Demonically throughout the metal and the circle of where the chains were attached to the wall. After all, what good were the cuffs if all I needed to do was crack the stone and yank the metal U bars free that were imbedded in the wall and keeping my chains hooked to them.

“I have to say, HellBeast, I expected more of a fight after hearing tales of your victories in the ring,” one of the guards said, and I might have commented if the big Viking bastard hadn’t gotten in there first. Something that started when he first grabbed the Angel by his throat and pinned him to the wall.

“Show some respect, Viser, for he is still a King!” Ragnar snarled at him, before letting him go and turning his respectful gaze back to me. “My apologies, King.”

I nodded once, having no fight with the Devourer and seeing no reason to be a dick about it. No, instead I remained quiet as they closed the bars to my cell and locked them with even more sorcery. Locks that I myself even used down in my own prison, as only the blood of those chosen could unlock them. Which was why I suspected this cell was picked, as Draven already had family blood linked to the supernatural lock. After this, the heavy bang and tell-tale bolting of the door was heard when the outer door to this block was shut up tight. I made a scoffing sound as it was clear they believed me to be a flight risk. Twice the security wasn’t exactly standard.

There was no one else in any of the other cells that branched off this space, telling me that the King had picked this one for a reason. But only time would tell on that one, for as soon as I was left alone, I allowed myself the sour moment of reflection, which admittedly, had me gritting my teeth.

But like I said, I had accounted for this outcome, yet that didn’t mean I hadn’t wished for another. Which was why, for as long as this extended life took me, I would never forget the pain in her eyes when she denied me. I would never forget the pain in my heart at hearing it. If anything, the only consolation in this agony endured was the knowledge it was done out of her love for me and not a true desire to be rid of me.

It was a selfless act driven by love.

I knew that.

Because I wasn’t blind and never had been when it came to Ella. I knew the heart she had given and the one I had shamefully taken, despite what I foolishly believed regarding giving her my own in return. It was little wonder thinking back to how much of a dick I had been to her after she had kissed me that time on the couch. I remember being pissed off all night, secretly waiting for her to come back to my bed, even after yelling at her and telling myself over and over how it was best for both our sakes to leave her in her own, despite my anger. Despite my frustrations. Despite knowing it was wrong.

So, I had left her there, until…

I hadn’t.

I couldn’t fucking stand it! I had been a bastard using the excuses I had to keep her there. The fear I told myself she may have at staying in her own bed after what had happened the first time when she was kidnapped. So, I had kept her in mine, having her things moved into my room the very next day, making the decision far too quickly.

But that night we had argued, well, I had spent hours trying to convince myself that it was for the best. That this was a line I had drawn in the sand and was one that I should keep there. Of course, my restraint finally snapped after I picked up my lamp and threw it across the room, growling a pissed off,

‘Fuck it!’ Then I had fixed the damage I made so she wouldn’t see the effect she had on me. This, even though my next move was going to blow that hope out the fucking window. In the end, I hadn’t cared as I had gone to her room and picked her up as if she was my salvation. As if the very feel of her body in my arms once more was like some soothing balm for a HellBeast’s ragged soul.

I wished I could have said this was the first time, but in all honesty, it was only one of many. Far too many fucked up moments I had instigated or encouraged that closeness between us to grow. Times I was now paying for. So many times. It was fucked but I knew I deserved the pain of her rejection, just as I had rejected her. And the only thing I knew deep down that I didn’t deserve…

Was Ella.

Now, did that mean I wasn’t taking her, keeping her and making her mine? Fuck no! But what it did mean was that I could not hold her actions to deny me accountable, for she was not at fault… I was. I could have prevented all of this if I had just listened to the signs of my own actions and asked myself why I had fought so hard to keep her. A girl I had believed was not to be my Chosen One. Asking myself even then, why had it caused me physical pain when I saw her hurt and lying in that hospital bed? Why had I been out of my fucking mind with worry when I realized she had been taken? And why had it sickened me to the point I wanted to cut my own hands off the moment I realized what I had almost done to her when mistaking her for the imposter?

Oh yeah, I had fucked up.

It was little wonder why those around me were confused as fuck, my brother especially. Even back when she had unknowingly walked into another club I owned and was giving my brother reason to like her, I had told him in German that she was Claimed. Now why had I said that? Because something deep down inside me had known even then and allowed the impulse to slip past my lips. Gods, if only I had kept fucking listening instead of fighting this, I couldn’t help but wonder where we would be now. Most likely in my fucking bed together, and the only place I wanted to keep her from here on out.

I also worried about her health, knowing that my blood inside her would only last so long before her disease started to present itself again. I didn’t want that for her. I didn’t want my girl going through a single day more of pain.

Fuck, but when I think of all the fucking signs I missed. No one bruised that easily. But when I lifted her arm to find the injection mark there from what must have been her last treatment, I should have pressed harder for an answer I believed and not the bullshit she told me. I had sensed the lie but that hadn’t been all I had smelled. There had been an odour there I hadn’t been able to fully detect, it was just too foreign.

Too strong.

Strong enough to mask the scent of my Fated.

I should have looked into it. I should have listened to my gut. I should have… fuck!

“Fucking dumb ass, Jared!” I shouted in my anger, hammering my raised hands against the stone wall at my back. Just how many emotions had I ignored, for fuck sake. Even the insane jealousy I had felt had been out of character. Sure, HellBeasts were known to be possessive types, but this was a whole other fucking level. Just watching the friendships she had developed with my men and the innocent flirting with Otto and Chase had me near grinding fucking enamel off my teeth.

But then she had mentioned that dick ‘whoever the fuck he was’ Orson, fuck me but I couldn’t have helped what I had snapped at her, demanding to know if he had fucked her. Of course seeing the way she got angry, trying to tell me that it was none of my business… fuck that! Of course, it had been! Or at least, that was how I had felt enough to say at the time. But of course, she had been right, because as much as I hated to admit it to myself at that very moment, it hadn’t been.

It hadn’t been my business.

Because I hadn’t allowed it to be.

Yet, despite this, it still wasn’t something I was willing to concede to, as it felt as if flaying my Beast’s skin off by doing so and now I knew why. Just like the day she came out of the shower wearing my scent, making my Beast want to fucking purr. Getting that first glimpse of her naked, fuck me, I had nearly fucking claimed her then. The only sobering moment was when I had made her flinch in pain when I was too rough. Too rough with what I knew was an already broken body.

The sight of her bruised skin, well it made me want to go on a murdering rampage, as I hadn’t lied to her when admitting how much it had affected me. And speaking about showers, but Gods even washing her fucking hair got me fucking hard, giving me enough to jack off to, as I swear thoughts of taking her in the shower were all I could fucking think of for days!

I had already admitted so much to her during our time together. How she drove me fucking crazy. How my willpower was waning wafer thin to near none-existent. How she was sending my Beast over the fucking edge and just the sight of her sometimes could have me losing myself completely to that Hellish side of me. Fuck, but the only thing that calmed my Beast down enough was to constantly be looking for excuses to touch her.

Most of which were pretty slim at best, to near non-fucking-existent as she could brush her own Gods be damned beautiful fucking hair behind her ear. She could pull her sweater up over her own shoulder. Just like she could walk five fucking feet to the couch without my hand on her hip steering her that way like she was fucking blind, not a temporary mute.

She didn’t need me reaching out and running the pad of my thumb across her lips every time she blinded me with that fucking knock out smile of hers. Just like she didn’t need me reaching for her hand and playing with her fingers every time she rewarded me with that unique cute as fuck giggle of hers. One that sounds halfway between a hiccup and the beginnings of a sneeze. Fucking Gods, but I had never found anything cute like that before in my whole entire fucked up life. I was a fucking HellBeast for fuck sake… cute shouldn’t even be on our fucking radar!

So, fucking blind.

All these years, and Gods, but I was totally blinded, and all by one name. Because my brother had been right, it had been a name that had held far too much power over me. Enough that it nearly cost me my Chosen One. But more than that…

It had nearly cost me my love for Ella.

Because if I were honest with myself, it had nothing to do with who the Fates had granted me favour to take as my own. It had nothing to do with being my Claimed or any supernatural shit like that. No, that was nothing but the excuse it gave me to finally take her… to take a mortal.

To make the girl I had been falling in love with for years, mine. Because it had been years, for if not, then why would I have spent those secret times looking into her? Every move she made I had discovered. Years of monitoring the life of a mortal girl, telling myself it was out of some fucked up duty to keep an eye on what could be a threat to my club. Like she could have been able to convince the world of my existence.

Like she even would.

No, it had all been a lie. I knew that the moment I had lost my fucking mind when she had run out of the pub trying to save my ass and take on my enemies with a fucking fire extinguisher! Fuck me but that girl, unbelievable. Would I ever get used to her and the many layers there? The ones I wanted to strip back one by one on my journey of discovery, hoping it would take me years to do so. A future I couldn’t fucking wait to start living.

And speaking of starting,

I finally discovered why this cell had been chosen. Although it hadn’t been because of a Queen like I suspected.

No.

It had been because of a King.

The one who faced me now.

30

KING TO KING

“Draven.”

“Cerberus,” Dominic Draven replied after entering my cell, letting the barred door close behind him after he had first bitten into his hand to open the lock. Then he simply folded his arms and leaned back against the bars.

“I have to say, it doesn’t bring me much pleasure seeing where we stand now, not after it wasn’t long ago we stood side by side on the battlefield,” he said, and despite where I was now, I believed him. I shrugged my shoulders as much as I was able to with my hands shackled above me, now just thankful I had predicted how this was going to go. Hence, why I had taken my jacket off in preparation earlier.

“She’s your niece, so watcha’ gonna do?” I admitted in a cocky tone, making him raise a brow at me.

“I know you’re planning something, HellBeast,” he stated, calling my bluff.

“Not much I can do shackled here under the influence of your Witch, although I guess even that will only hold for so long, so I guess it’s just a waiting game,” I said, hoping this was enough to throw him off.

“I will admit to having my sorceress, Rue, cast the runes on your restraints as soon as I knew you had landed, although I had hoped not to use them,” he said, which was nothing surprising, as I would have done the same.

“A King will always come for his Chosen, Dom, you should know that better than most, seeing as you were the first to find yours.”

“I was also the first to walk away,” he reminded me, making me argue back,

“Yeah, and how long did that last?” His anger spiked at this.

“It would have lasted longer on my part had she not put herself in danger,” he argued, making me scoff a single, humourless laugh before calling him on his lies.

“Bullshit and you fucking know it!” Again he raised a brow at this, and I had to say, the arrogant look was getting on my nerves.

“You were just looking for the excuse, just like I was,” I said before adding more. “Look, I get it, she’s family and she comes here and tells you how I fucked up…”

“Now that’s interesting,” he replied before I could say more, something that annoyingly piqued my curiosity.

“What is?” I asked, frustratingly taking the bait.

“She didn’t express anything to me on your ‘fuck up’ as you put it, but only expressed her own. In fact, she only had good things to say about you, telling us how you had saved her life and continued to keep her safe… so imagine my surprise when you show up and started… how did you put it… fucking up.” Now this did have the impact he was hoping for, as first my eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed in annoyance.

“Fuck you, Dom, and your patronizing bullshit!”

“I am only stating facts here, HellBeast,” he said, keeping his calm where I failed at keeping mine.

“Yeah well, that’s HellBeast King, even to you, asshole, so don’t play this bullshit game with me and treat this like you can do a fucking thing to me when we both know you can’t… when we both know you’re forbidden to.” I added this last part in a threatening tone of my own.

“That maybe so, but who said the reason I am keeping you here now is as punishment and not just for a means to restrain you in order to give my niece the time she needs.” At this my heart stopped at what he was insinuating, making me tense before tugging hard at the shackles, demanding on a roar,

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER!?”

“Calm down, Jared, I have done nothing with my niece other than give her options, something you refused to offer her as is her right,” he replied as I started to realize the only flaw in my plan. Which was why I warned,

“Well, you can’t fucking keep me here forever, Dom, so trust me when I tell you it will all be in vain, for I will find her and when I do…”

“Who is Lerna?” he asked suddenly, cutting off my threat with a painful reminder.

“It doesn’t fucking matter!” I snapped, making him cock his head a little before telling me,

“No, it matters little to me who she is, you are right… however, it does clearly matter to Ella and that, Jared, well that gets my fucking attention.” I released a deep sigh, knowing there was no way around this. However, that still didn’t stop me from trying.

“We don’t have time for this shit, Dom, not when Ella could be in danger and if you have just let her go out into the world alone…”

“Calm yourself, for I have done no such thing,” he said, cutting me off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Then she is safe?” I asked, needing to know this.

“Of course, and for now, still behind the safety of Afterlife’s walls.” At this I couldn’t stop my reaction as I visibly took in a deep, relieved breath, closing my eyes at the same time. My girl was safe. My girl was still here. That meant I still had a chance.

“She also told me what happened on the way here and how you saved her… yet again!” he said, ending this with a slice of exasperation.

“Great, now want to thank me by letting me go?” At this he laughed.

“You going to Claim my niece if I do?” he asked pointlessly.

“Absolutely!” I said what anyone would have known was with absolute certainty.

“Then no, I think letting you hang there without blood being spilled is thanks enough.”

“You don’t understand what is going on here, Dom, you don’t understand the dangers that are after her,” I told him, trying a new angle.

“Hence my visit, Jared, for now is the time for you to change that.”

I released a frustrated sigh at this, knowing there was little point denying him. Not if the truth could be heavy enough to persuade him that I was the best thing for Ella right now. After all, HellHounds were my problem to fix and therefore, should we say, under my jurisdiction, not his. So, I decided to start at the beginning, giving him a slice of what he wanted.

“You know I first met her when she was only eighteen.” At this he nodded, letting me know that Ella must have finally come clean to what had happened all those years ago.

“I knew even then that there was something different about her. Fuck me, but just seeing her on that stage…”

“Save me the explicit thoughts, Jared, she is still my niece,” Dominic warned, making me growl back in return,

“Not like that, asshole! No, I am talking about my fucking heart!” I snapped, shocking him.

“She was… Gods, but it was like something deep inside needed her.”

“I am accustomed to the feeling, Jared, what I don’t understand is if this is true, then why did you wait?” I released another frustrated sigh and told him,

“Because at the time I stupidly listened to the Fates when they told me how I would recognize her as being mine.”

“And?” he asked, wanting more, so I was forced to elaborate.

“And the attraction was there, the pull was there but nothing more, not enough to make me risk taking a mortal, your niece to add to that risk… I wasn’t fucking stupid, Dom.”

“Yet you are now, is that what you’re telling me?” I clenched my jaw at this.

“No, what I am telling you is that the only risk I face now is the one where she is in danger, as I know who she is to me and that even you can’t prevent the Fates or stop the Claim.”

“One you are so certain of now, yet Ella claims this to be nothing more than a mistake made on your part, though admittedly, one to first be of her own making, when forcing your hand.” Again, I gritted my teeth until my gums felt the ache.

“Her illness,” I finally said and at this, I watched as he physically took that hit as he knew he could have done something and yet if he had, then he would have been breaking his own laws. It was the price of being King and setting an example, despite how much it hurt you to do so.

“I didn’t know… I didn’t know anything about it,” I continued to explain, and for once he looked surprised.

“She kept it from you?”

“Yeah, and with it the knowledge that it was the drugs in her system that were changing her scent. The very thing that the Fates told me would knock me on my ass the second I found her. A scent I didn’t realize was changing and getting stronger because she wasn’t taking her medication and getting her shit seen to.” At this he looked pained, hurt and angry, knowing now the risks his niece had taken by keeping this secret.

“So, you saving her life…” He let the observation trail off, causing me to finish for him.

“She was the cause, just as much as I was. She danced herself nearly to death because of what… of what she heard,” I said, knowing I had to own up to my own shit here and my part played in it, as Ella was far from solely to blame in this.

“I see… so you Claimed her by healing her, despite the death it could have meant for you,” he concluded.

“By that point I didn’t give a shit, Dom, I just loved the girl and couldn’t see her die… Fucking Fates, as wouldn’t you know, it turned out that in the end, I didn’t need to worry because she was always meant to be mine.” At this I watched as Dom’s shoulders relaxed with a sigh.

“What did she hear to make her act so recklessly?” Well wasn’t that the dreaded fucking question.

“I didn’t know she was there, Dom.”

“That’s not what I asked, Jared,” he said, calling me out.

“Fuck… she heard me talking about Lerna, okay?”

“Who is?” he continued to ask, making my entire body tense this time before forcing myself to reply.

“Who is… who was… my wife.” At this he looked stunned and rightly so as the arrogant bastard thought he knew everything. Well, not this… Not this.

But then, I saw when the cogs started ticking for him as he only had to mention a single person’s name. A Demon who had been on my council for years and who had taken the fall for me as was planned that way. The fall he took when I had asked him to, just so he could get to the right places and begin his searches where no one was allowed to go… not unless you were guilty.

“Wild Bill.”

“Yeah, Dom, Wild Bill. You see, Lerna was his mission and reason he did what he did so he could get sent under,” I admitted.

“And if he hadn’t, if your wife had never meant that much to you, I would never have had him there in Hell to do what was needed by saving that of my own Chosen One. It was all prophesied,” he agreed in a meaningful tone.

“It seems that way, doesn’t it?” I said, unable to keep the irony out of my tone.

“And now?”

“Now what?” I asked back in return.

“Jared, you hunted down the world’s most notorious lawman and bounty hunter of his time, made a deal with him seconds before you knew he was about to be shot in the head, all so you could charge him the task of finding your dead wife in Hell. So forgive me here if I am not exactly fired up to congratulate you on declaring your love for my niece and clearly, I am not the only one seeing as she too denied your claim,” he said, voicing more of his opinion, and now doing so dropping the arrogant King persona we all loved to portray so much, as it was the only way for us assholes to rule.

Something I dropped as well when I told him,

“She loves me, Dom.”

“Yes, well that much is obvious, as clearly, I am not blind,” he said, surprising me at how easily he admitted it. Something in my face must have said, as he raised a cocky brow and told me,

“I saw the way she clung to you, Jared, and like you, I am no fool.” I nodded at this, happy at least that he wasn’t trying to argue that point, but then again, it was like he said… he was no fool.

“Look, cutting the bullshit here, I fucked up and now I am here to fix it. Again, you should understand this more than most considering the past.” At this his jaw tensed, but despite how much he hated to be reminded of the past, it was one he couldn’t disregard all the same.

“And how exactly? Do you intend to simply kidnap her and take her against her will?” At this I laughed and called his bluff.

“Oh, and what, Dom, you’re really going to tell me that the thought never entered your head with Keira when you first met her…? I’ve met the chick, Dom, she screamed trouble from the get go, hence why I have helped her more times than I can count.” At this even he had to shrug, as clearly, he knew it was true.

“That fact isn’t unknown, Jared,” he stated with irritation, as obviously, the years still had yet to heal those memories.

“Yeah, well here is one that is. Ella, your niece, is in more danger than you can imagine and the guy you have chained up in your little dungeon here, is the only one who can keep her safe,” I said, rattling my chains for emphasis.

“You really believe that, don’t you?” I felt my jaw harden and gritted out,

“Damn fucking straight, I do.”

“And this danger, Jared, never once did you think to ask yourself why or if it was in fact, you yourself who brought it to her doorstep?”

“She lives in a fucking trailer, Dom, no doorstep to speak of and no, it ain’t on me, not when its Garmr that’s after her.”

“What?!” he hissed as clearly, the royal fucker didn’t know as much as he thought he did.

“Exactly what I said, that fucker wants her,” I practically snarled.

“Why?” he demanded in a hard tone that spoke of wanting nothing more than the fucker’s head on a spike. A sentiment I was totally on board with. Something he knew when I replied forcefully,

“I have no fucking clue, but I intend to fucking find out!”

“How do you even know this?” he asked, making me flinch the once at just the memory of how I came to know.

“The battle of Blood Wars, I was up against this big fucker, the one leading all the legions of HellHounds across the battlefield. He was different, powerful and not like the rest of his army. I fought him, ashamed to admit that he got the upper hand and at the time, for some reason I had no fucking clue as to why, I wanted my last thoughts to be about, Ella.”

“He sensed it,” Dom guessed, making me grind my teeth, knowing it was my fault that this whole thing started.

“Yeah, he did.”

“He has been looking for her?” Dom asked, now going through the very same thought process I had after it first happened.

“Yeah, and who knew that by me thinking about the one girl I wanted and let get away, was the very second he saw it and realized it too. Only difference was, up until that moment, he thought she was untouchable.”

“What do you mean?” I released my pent-up aggression, angry at the past and told him,

“I can’t really explain it, but what he took from my mind left pieces of his own behind, like the feeling of need he had for her. His shock at realizing she had been hidden in the mortal world. And that…”

“What?” he snapped when I hesitated.

“…That she was back.” He frowned at this as I shook my head, hating voicing it for the first time to fucking anyone.

“Back from where?”

“The fuck if I know, Dom, I am just telling you what that fucker left me with. After that and the very fucking minute I got back from Hell, I found her and watched her from afar, making sure she was still safe.”

“Still safe?” he asked, throwing another awkward as fuck question my way.

“Like I said, I’ve had a fascination with her since she snuck into my club. Now I’m not saying I have stalked the girl, as clearly I didn’t know everything… I’m not you,” I said, referring both to not knowing Ella’s medical history and to what I knew about Dom’s past when openly stalking Keira back when he first found her. After all, gossip runs rife and fresh underground at Devils.

“Asshole,” he muttered, forcing me to repress a grin.

“But what I am saying is that I kept some tabs on her over time. However, after what that fucker saw of her in my mind, well I admit it freaked me the fuck out, enough that if there had even been the slightest hint of her getting hurt, I was prepared to haul her ass in and declare her being under my protection. And well, that happened quicker than I thought it would.”

“And then you fell in love with her?” Dom surmised easily enough.

“No, I just allowed myself to realize that I fell in love with her when I first saw her dancing on my stage all those years ago,” I admitted, unashamed to do so, despite it going against the grain to show that vulnerability to another King. Dom released a sigh and showed me his frustration by running a hand through his hair before his words followed.

“I’m sure you recognize the difficult situation you have put me in here, Jared.”

“Yeah, just as I am sure you will understand when I tell you that I don’t give a shit, she’s mine and I will be Claiming her with or without your blessing.” His dark gaze snapped to my determined one before calling me out.

“You’re sure of that?”

“Did you ever think to ask anyone’s blessing, Dom?” I said, making a point.

“Well, that’s the beauty of being King of Kings,” he replied arrogantly.

“I wasn’t talking about the other Kings, Dom.” Again his reaction was one I expected as he sighed, before lifting a hand in the air in one of those, ‘fuck it, I don’t care of the consequences’ type of gestures.

“I admit to being selfish in my decisions when it came to Keira and like you, believed no one, not even her, capable of stopping me of Claiming her as my Queen.”

“Not a shock there, Dom,” I responded sarcastically.

“But this does not change facts.”

“The fuck it doesn’t… this isn’t one of those fucked up situations where it’s do as I say, not as I do here, Dom. This is not only my fate but Ella’s too, as she was gifted to me for a reason!” I shouted, now pissed off that he couldn’t see this for himself. Not even after everything I had just told him.

“And you really think that this protection is one I myself cannot provide?” Again with his arrogance.

“Dom, you were willing to let the whole fucking world burn for Keira, despite being King of that world. If not me, then who else do you think is able to make those same decisions for Ella, the one who loves her most in this world?” I told him with nothing but determination in my gaze and coating every word.

“So, you would let your whole fucking world burn for her, is that what you’re telling me?” The question didn’t scare me and he knew it when I answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“In a fucking heartbeat.” At this he finally showed more emotion from his steely reserve, releasing a deflated sigh before running a hand over his hair again.

“I will need time to process all you have told me, but I give you my word, you will have my decision soon and it will be a fair one.”

“You gonna talk to Ella?” I asked, needing to know where I was at and how much time I had left before the wheels of my plan were set into motion.

“At the moment, no, she is… upset.” At this I flinched, hating how she must be feeling and knowing I wasn’t there for her. How I couldn’t be there for her. Not yet anyway.

“As long as you give me your word that she is safe and kept here behind these walls while you take your time, then you will get no trouble from me.” At this he nodded and before he took his leave, I was just thankful of one thing.

The one thing that just so happened to be the lie I had told Ella.

A shameless lie.

That this HellBeast…

He did bluff, after all.

31

REGRET

ELLA

I swear but this next part was all a blur.

One minute, I was in the arms of my aunt and the next, I was sitting down on a sofa huddled over a steaming cup of coffee that I couldn’t remember anyone bringing me.

I tasted nothing.

I felt everything.

God, but the pain on his face, I could still see it even now. I had tried to plead with my uncle to let him go, but it was like no one even heard me.

“This is all my fault… all my fault,” I muttered for what felt like the millionth time. I felt a hand rubbing my back, knowing it was most likely my aunt’s, but I didn’t look. There was no need to. Not when looking down at my feet was all I could seem to do, asking myself yet again if I had made the right decision. But then I would remind myself why I did it. Why I rejected the claim and knew that it wasn’t just right, but it was the only decision to make, despite the pain I had caused both of us.

I told myself it was better this way. That it was just even more pain that I would end up saving us both later on. Saving us an excruciating future that would end when he finally figured it all out for himself. When he woke one day and realized that he had claimed the wrong girl and I… well, I would always wait for that moment he would rip my heart out again.

No, this was for the best.

What wasn’t for the best though was knowing that he wasn’t just suffering because of it, he was also being punished and that… God, but that was what was the most painful part about all of this! That was what I had to try and change. I just had to.

“It’s okay, Ella, it will all be okay,” my aunt Kazzy said, making me sniff back another sob.

“B-b-but… but how… how will it be okay when… when he is… is down there knowing that I… that I am the cause?” I asked with my voice breaking, causing my aunt to give me a soft look in return.

“Oh, sweetheart, he won’t be blaming you.” I started to shake my head, knowing that she was wrong… how could he not blame me, when all of this was my fault.

“But how could he not… I caused this?” I told her, feeling fresh tears roll down my face as if my own words just caused another crack to fracture my shattering heart.

“No, Ella, you didn’t.” I started to shake my head again at this, causing even more tears to follow the path of so many others, that was until she stopped me.

“Now listen to me, Ella, honey, the only thing you can be accused of is doing what you thought was right.” I finally looked at her, feeling the weight upon my eyes lift as the tears that had been clinging on fell with the others. The sorrow there in her beautiful blue eyes was as clear to see as the agony would be in my own.

“But what if it wasn’t… what if Uncle Dom punishes him, or keeps him imprisoned…?”

“Do you love him, Ella?” she asked, suddenly interrupting me.

“Y-y-yes,” I stuttered, out as that question had me suddenly sobbing once more in her arms. I felt her stroke my hair back as I buried my head on her shoulder before she told me softly,

“Then leave your uncle to me, sweetheart.”

* * *

A little time later, I found myself in a luxurious bathroom throwing water on my face, trying in vain to calm the pain written all over it in the form of red puffy eyes and a sore nose. I had cried so hard, as honestly, it felt like the worst way to say goodbye. I was so worried about him, despite my aunt trying to convince me that he would be fine. That my uncle was forbidden to take the life of another King and that he was most likely doing this just to give me time to leave.

Something I knew I had to do, and soon.

My uncle was also currently arranging for me to go and stay with Amelia and Lucius, knowing that in his German castle I would not only be safe there, but it was also a place that Jared couldn’t get to me. This was because you literally couldn’t enter without first being allowed by Lucius, Vampire King of the castle. God, but when did my life get so damn complicated! Filled with words like Vampires, Kings, Castles and most of all…

HellBeasts.

It sounded like the stuff of fairy tales and something, under any other circumstances, I might have been excited about. However, right now it was nothing but some heart wrenching drama, and what faced me was the bitter end. I wished it could have happened some other way, but I was honestly at a loss on how to fix it.

How to make it right before I did have to leave.

“Ella honey, you done?” I heard my aunty Kaz ask on the other side of the door, and after taking another ten seconds to stare at myself in the mirror, I wiped my fresh tears away and told her,

“Yeah… I’m done.” After this I left the bathroom and couldn’t help but look a little taken aback by the three figures that now faced me.

“Erm… am I missing something?” I asked, now seeing Sophia, crazy aunty (but not really) Pip, and my actual aunty Kaz.

“Only your Beasty boy, Chica,” Pip said, twisting one of her bunny ears in what can only be described as an ‘I am thinking naughty things’ kind of way.

“What is she talking about?” I asked my aunt, who was looking suspiciously as though she had a plan.

“Look, I can’t get Jared freed, not yet anyway, not until Fae and Lucius get you out of here, but at the very least I can get you down there to see him.” At this my heart started thundering in my chest.

“You can?!” I couldn’t help but shout, at the same time gripping onto her arm and squeezing it. She gave me a tender, soft look before smiling a little, telling me,

“Yeah, Honey, but I need to know if this is really what you want before I do?”

“Yeah, ‘cause this crazy crew only works for hearts and kisses, babe, so you’re gonna have to be all over that tall, dark grey, and handsome bearded biker before we go all Shawshank on his ass,” Pip added, confusing me, which was basically Pip’s bag with most people.

“Shawshank?” I asked after Sophia slapped the back of her hand to Pip’s chest and gave her a look that told her now was not the time.

“It’s a movie and not important right now,” my aunt said, making Pip argue,

“Okay, so we got our own Rita Hayworth without the shit, so it kinda is… what? Jeez, what is with you, Miss Happy Slappy?” Pip said when she received another back hander from Sophia. At this Sophia rolled her eyes as she turned to my Aunty Kaz and said,

“A little help here.”

“Pip, stick to the plan, you know the one where we are quietly confident this will work with a bucket load of emphasis on the quietly part, yeah?” my aunt said, making Pip wink one of her brightly coloured eyes thanks to the painted rainbow over dark, smoky makeup. Of course, she rocked the look, along with her painted lips that matched, with rainbow stripes and black liner framing the sexy pout.

“Gotcha, Batman… see, was it so hard to put it like that?” Pip said, adding this last part aimed at Sophia, who was gripping the bridge of her nose and muttering,

“Harpies… I’m telling you, Harpies are easier than this shit.”

“Hold it together, ladies… right, so, Ella, is this what you want?” my aunt asked, who I had gathered by now was kind of like the leader of the group.

“I just get to talk to him… right? You know, to explain how sorry I am, maybe say goodbye the right way and that’s it?” I asked, making Pip snort, and this time she received a stern look from my aunty Kaz. At this, Pip took it seriously as she looked back to me and said,

“You got it, Rita.” I frowned a little, having no clue as to why I was suddenly Rita, but I had a feeling it was from this movie Shawshank that I had never seen before.

“I really need to see him, please Aunty Kazzy,” I said, making her nod as if this was all she had needed to make her decision final. Which was enough for us to leave the hallway and make our way down into the unknown. And when I say unknown, what I actually meant is the freaky quickly turning into even freakier. It was one staircase after another, along with tunnels, hallways and gargoyle filled corridors. I swear, one even moved at one point, making Pip flip it the bird as my aunty Kaz just told it,

“Not today, Stoney.” I swear I would have turned back in fear had it not been for my new girl posse, who I already suspected were total bad asses. This was confirmed as once past the weirdest room full of crazy looking artifacts, that I swear would have made Amelia weep for joy, we entered the next space, and all three didn’t bat an eye in fear… not like me.

“Oh, Jesus.,” I muttered, making Pip giggle, while Sophia commented dryly,

“Yeah, not going to find him down here, that’s for sure.” However, it was my aunt that shot them a stern look before turning to me and turning me from the vast space that looked bigger than the whole house combined. It was like some damn stadium under the home, cut into the mountain, or was it once some colossal cave?

“Ella, look at me, honey,” she told me as my eyes were still the size of saucers, scanning the room in panic and awe. Which is most likely why she had to shake me a little, now with her hands gripping the tops of my arms a little tighter. This managed to do the trick as my gaze focused on her once more.

“Okay, so this place is gonna look crazy, but you need to trust me. Nothing can hurt you down here, not with us with you.”

“Wh…what is this place?” I whispered as if there was some giant monster in here somewhere, sleeping and just waiting for someone to come steal his gold… wait, pretty sure that was the storyline from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Which made me quickly hiss,

“God, but there isn’t a dragon in here is there?!” At this Pip and Sophia both giggled, making my aunty Kaz snap a look their way and say through gritted teeth,

“Not helping here, ladies.” In response to this, Pip just mouthed,

‘My Bad’ while Sophia nodded and took Pip by the arm, walking away with her and telling my aunt,

“We will just go open the door.”

“Good plan that,” Aunty Kaz said in a tense tone, before turning her attention back to me.

“Now, don’t freak out as I know this is a lot and going to sound right up there on the creepy scale, but this is… erm… well…”

“Just say it,” I said when she started hesitating and to be honest, I didn’t know what was freaking me out more, where we were currently standing, or the fact I was having this conversation with my aunt who now looked younger than I did.

“It’s a crypt.”

“What?!” I shouted before turning panicked eyes to the room, fearing now I had woken up… well… the dead.

“I know, I know, and trust me, I was totally in your shoes once.”

“And you stayed?!” I asked incredulously.

“What can I say, love can make you do insane things,” she replied and yeah, she had a good point, hence why I muttered,

“You’re damn right there.”

“Come on, kid, let’s get your insane on and get moving,” she said, winking and taking my hand in hers. I am not ashamed to admit it would have made this journey impossible had she not been with me, as I would have run away terrified. But then, knowing Jared was in a cell somewhere down here, would I really have run away? Perhaps not. Because it was like she said it was…

Love made you do crazy things.

Like get you locked up for admitting that love.

This painful thought made me squeeze my aunt’s hand before I allowed her to lead me across the vast space. One that I could now see had at its centre a huge dead tree, that looked almost fossilized. It was bigger than even the biggest of Redwoods, and it made me realise just how deep underground we must have been as it reached a huge domed roof above. But believe it or not, this wasn’t the weirdest part. No, this was reserved for the curved stone wall that surrounded the crypt, complete with carved holes that you didn’t need to be a genius to know why they were there or what they held.

A shiver wracked my body as I held myself tight, as if readying myself for trouble. But trouble never came, as we made our way across to where Pip and Sophia were now standing.

“God,” I muttered, making Sophia tell me,

“Gods, sweetheart, as trust me, we have many and it’s time you embrace them… welcome to our world.” Then she held her arm out towards a gigantic doorway, one that looked as though it had simply emerged from behind a blanket of dead grey vines that belonged to the tree in the centre. It was a huge wall of them, now with a lush green vine making its way up the dead ones, as if someone had just fed it liquid life.

“We have to go in there?” I asked as the glowing light made it impossible to see what was behind the enormous door, forcing me to shield my eyes with my forearm.

“It’s okay, honey, we are right with you,” my aunt said, giving my hand a squeeze before letting go, telling me it was going to be alright.

“Okay, I can do this… I can do this… I can do this,” I repeated, like this basic mantra would work in powering up my bravery a notch and well, it kind of did as I took my first steps through. I was blinded by the light but continued on despite this, knowing I couldn’t turn back now. Then, once we got through the insanity that was the crypt, and through the blinding light of the tunnel, I ended up gasping at the scariest bit yet.

“Fuck!” I hissed the second I saw the next level of what felt more and more like some insane version of an escape room.

“Don’t worry, Princess Merida of DunBroch, we are kick ass and won’t let anything hurt you… shut the fudge up, wack’a doodle!” Pip said, finishing this last part by kicking at one of the doors the second they started making creepy sounds from behind one of the cells. But then this wasn’t exactly giving me the warm and fuzzies, not considering my first taste of the place was hearing a creepy Demonic voice behind the door about how they could smell tasty mortal blood.

“It’s probably your stinky pits, jeez, whatcha been washing with, pigs balls?” she told the… whatever the hell it was behind that metal door… thumbing her hand behind her as we passed and I had to say, she certainly had a way of making shit less scary. Which was why I hugged her to my side and told her,

“You make everything better, Aunty Pip.” At this she grinned hugely at me and held my hand, telling me,

“Aww shucks thanks, Merida.”

“Okay, I have to ask, why do you keep calling me that?” I asked as we made our way further down the prison that looked like every single image you would have expected your brain to conjure up when using words like medieval, castle, and torture.

“Shit me and my perfectly toned glutes, you never seen the movie ‘Brave’? ‘Cause, girl, you got that red curly shit going on!” Pip said, making the other two laugh.

“I prefer ‘Up’,” Sophia said, making me raise a brow in question and let’s just say I wasn’t the only one with this reaction.

“What?” Sophia asked.

“You watched ‘Up’?” Kazzy asked, making her stop, cross her arms and say,

“Yeah and?” At this my aunt raised her hands and said,

“I ain’t judging.”

“Oh my Gods loves a Giddy Aunt that doesn’t exist, she so is judging,” Pip said, pointing at my aunt and making me giggle. My aunty Kaz shot her a look, but Pip just stuck her tongue out like a child.

“Oh, I get it, the bad ass Demon chick can’t find a movie about an old guy who loses the love of his life, his sweet wife, sad, is that what you’re saying?” Sophia asked with her hands on her hips.

“Don’t forget the part where he blows up all those balloons and makes his house fly… that’s the best part, although the dog Doug cracks me up… squirrel… classic,” Pip said, laughing as my aunty Kaz look side on at me and roll her eyes in a lighthearted way, making me smile. Then she ruffled Sophia’s hair, making her actually growl when my aunt said,

“You’re such a cutie, Demon.”

“It’s not much farther now,” Sophia replied, playing the pissed off act despite me being able to see the smirk playing at her lips and reminding me of my uncle. Pip came up to me and squeezed my hand, making me squeeze it back in thanks, as I knew it was offering me comfort. Because honestly, I didn’t know what I would have done without these three.

“And it’s total bullshit by the way,” Pip commented as we travelled down the freaky length of the prison, leaving little to the imagination of the dangers that were held behind these freaky cell doors. Jesus, but I swear you could even feel the evil intent pulsating from behind each one we passed.

“I am almost afraid to ask,” my aunt answered, while Sophia replied dryly,

“I am always afraid to ask.”

“Then why do you?” Kazzy asked, making Sophia reply in kind,

“Then why do you?”

“Because it’s like closing your eyes on a rollercoaster, the whole point of it is to look,” my aunt said, making Sophia scoff,

“Oh yeah, like you would ever go on a rollercoaster, I remember Dom trying to convince you to go on the Hulk when you took Fae to Islands of Adventure that time.” At this Pip sniggered and said to herself,

“That was fucking fudgy funny!” My aunt shot her a deadly look before saying,

“One word, Pip, It’s a Small World After All.”

“That’s six words and that ride is creepy as a factory full of fuck that’s!” I laughed at this before my aunt shivered and muttered,

“That green ride was scary,” my aunt complained.

“It was scary, that’s your answer?” Sophia said laughing.

“What?”

“Girl, you went to Hell and back so many times, surprised you don’t have a timeshare there, and let’s not mention the three wars, ‘cause that shit isn’t even the tip of the ‘scary iceberg’. But even if you had lived a ‘Little House on the Prairie’ sheltered life, you were going on the ride next to a Demon Angelic King who had wings for Gods be forsaken,” Sophia said and even I had to admit, I think it was the most I had ever heard her say, let alone most of it being confusing as Hell. Naturally, my look said it all.

“I might have a lot to tell you one day,” my aunt Kazzy said after seeing my face.

“You know we are way off topic of anyone asking me why it’s total bullshit,” Pip complained as we rounded a corner where the doors started to change. They became more solid and indestructible looking. As though this was where they kept the real danger locked away and I guess, considering who we were now trying to see, then they were right. After all, it wasn’t long ago that I had witnessed what he was capable of for myself. So, was I really surprised by the sight of such a massive door of hammered metal, that looked to be near a foot thick with so many locks it made me wonder how long it took people to open the damn things? A crisscross of raised metal spikes interlocked with the strange mechanical locking system on each door we passed, making me wonder which one would be his.

Where was my HellBeast prisoner?

“Alright, well I am usually the one to bite, so come on, Pip, why is the utterly heartbreaking, makes me cry every time, Disney movie ‘Up’ total bullshit.”

“Because according to google, a litre of helium should lift: 1.11g. So, 1000 litres lifts a little over a kilogram, and a 70kg human needs around 70,000 litres, so very roughly it would take at least 10,000 normal balloons, or approximately 300 of those party balloon cylinders you find at supermarkets to life my skinny ass, so a house, well I think you can guess how many balloons it would take, millions is the answer, and not even I have that much rubber.” At this none of us could help it as we all burst out laughing.

But then, as soon as the last door came into view, all laughter died as I knew the moment we stopped, that this was it. This was my chance to explain. To tell him how sorry I was and how I never wanted it to go this way. But most of all…

It was a chance at a real goodbye.

The one I was so desperate to take with me, no matter how irrational it sounded. I just needed to walk away with at least one regret less than the mountain of them I was already shackled with.

One I knew would not be easy the second I watched my aunt grow fangs from beneath her gums and wink at me before she bit down suddenly into her hand. Then she let the blood pool there, before dripping it onto a small flat dish that seemed to integrate into part of the locking system. I didn’t ask, knowing that had Jared not been behind those walls, I would have wanted to know the hows, the whys and the whos.

But my anxiety wouldn’t allow me to be curious. Because as soon as all the locks started to turn, I knew this was it. This was my time. One that started the moment the door opened and there behind a barred cell, was Jared.

My Pissed off HellBeast King.

32

LIBERTAS

The moment his head rose from looking down, I gasped. His molten silver eyes burned into me, the glow in them unmistakable.

My decision had hurt him.

But of course it had.

After all, I knew what that rejection felt like. Anyone else might have found just the tiniest bit of pleasure in it and called it Karma. Yet I found none and couldn’t call it anything but agonizing.

“Is there any way for him to free himself?” I asked, knowing he had heard me.

“Those shackles he has on are forged with magic that binds his other side to Hell so his HellBeast can’t aid him in escaping,” my aunt said in a quiet voice, as if she too was pained to see him like this.

“Good job too or those chains would snap like playdoh,” Pip commented with a whistle.

“Not helpful, Pip,” Sophia commented, making Pip scoff.

“And the cage?” I asked, as that’s exactly what it looked like, a barred room inside another.

“The locks are such that only your uncle can open them without the blood of the Chosen, so you’re safe, Ella,” my aunt said in a strange way, as if this was all taking its toll.

“Pip.” She spoke her name and suddenly the most colourful member of this strange gang was stepping forward.

“Here, drink this, it will help settle your nerves,” she told me, handing me a flask that ironically had the words ‘Pip’s Holy Water’ written across the front, making me sniff down at it.

“What’s in it?” I asked.

“Only a bit of Hyoscyamus Niger, Henbane,” Pip said, getting stunned looks from Sophia and my aunty Kaz.

“Pip, Jesus,” my aunt muttered under her breath.

“Erm what’s that?” I asked, again making Pip laugh and tell me,

“Chill, Curly Sue, it’s just like herbal tea and will definitely calm your nerves.” I looked down at it again and seeing how my hands were shaking, I decided it couldn’t hurt, so I shrugged my shoulders and gulped it down.

“Oh okay, wow we are just drinking it all then… ooookie dokie doodle,” Pip said, again getting looks from the other two.

“It will be fine, it’ll just work for longer, I guess,” she told them shrugging her shoulders.

“You guess!” my aunt snapped.

“I’m not a botanist, sugar tits,” she said first to my aunt, turning to Sophia who just groaned and pinched her nose again.

“You’re an Imp, Pip,” Sophia complained, making it even harder to follow the conversation as I was totally lost as to what they were talking about.

“Yeah and?” Pip said with a frown and a cock of her hip, where she rested her hand and tapped her crazy sprinkle coated fingernails against her big skirt.

“This shit is in your blood,” Sophia argued back, making me ask,

“Did I drink too much?” They all ignored me on account of Pip saying,

“Keep telling you, Posh Spice, wrong side of the Mother Tree.” Her strange reply to this made my aunty Kaz step in, something I had a feeling she had to do often.

“We can talk about this later, as now is not exactly the time.” At this she took the now empty flask from my hand and taking a look at my concerned face, told me,

“It will all be fine.” I nodded because I trusted her, although the craziest one of the bunch had me now sitting on the fence with my trust levels.

“Do me a favour, tell him something for me,” she said as she stepped up to the next lock on the second cell door, this time one that was all bars with only a solid stone wall behind where he was chained up against. As for the rest of the place, we were standing in a room that held multiple cells like the one Jared was in, that I was at least thankful were empty. These cells branched off in different directions, with the biggest of all facing us now, as it was directly opposite the outer door.

I then watched my aunty Kaz re-open the bite she had given herself to get in here, one that had already healed. She then soaked the same strange disk thing that I gathered by now was actually the key to the lock, soaking it full of her blood and said quietly,

“Tell him I’m sorry and… Libertas.” I only just barely heard the word, as if this was some great secret she didn’t want anyone knowing yet.

“What does it mean?” I asked just as quietly.

“Don’t worry… he will know,” she said, looking towards him to find him watching us from the other side of the room where his imprisoned form was locked. She then nodded her head to him in greeting as she opened the door for me and told me,

“We will be just outside the second door.” I nodded and after taking a deep, shaky breath, I walked inside. I also couldn’t help but jump when I heard the clang of the door shut behind me before the lock rotated, sealing me in.

“Ten minutes, Jared,” my aunt said, telling us both that was all the time we had to say goodbye. He nodded in understanding, making me close my eyes. Just ten minutes. Just six hundred seconds, ten of them I wasted by standing there too afraid to speak. Time, he allowed me. Time that was limited to just that.

Ten seconds.

“Red, come here.” His stern voice cut through the room, having the same impact it always did, despite him currently being chained to the wall with his arms above his head. Christ, but just the way it made his muscles bulge was enough to have me breathing heavy. Even held prisoner he still managed to look as intimidating as Hell, with those biceps tensing when I didn’t do as he asked. The way his hair fell forward and had remained there from where he’d had his head to the ground when the door first opened. As if he had been bracing himself for what was about to happen.

I was to walk away.

This was the goodbye I had intended and with one look, he knew it.

“I think I am best staying here,” I replied, chickening out.

“Why, scared I will pull a Houdini and escape?” he asked in a tone that spoke only of bitter humour, especially when he rattled his chains, making me jump before telling me,

“I think you’re safe, Sweetheart.” I released a deep sigh and walked closer, knowing he was right. He was going nowhere and we both knew it.

“I know you might not believe me, but I didn’t want this, Jared… I didn’t… this… it wasn’t supposed to happen this way,” I said, struggling with my words.

“Red, look at me.” I refused and carried on, something I wouldn’t have been able to do if I did look at him.

“I didn’t ask for you to be… to be…”

“Ella, baby… Look. At. Me,” he said more firmly this time, despite the soft, tender way he said my name to start. So, I finally cracked and did as he asked, just as a tear ran down my face. Then I told him on a pained whisper,

“I didn’t want you imprisoned.” At this he closed his eyes as if my words meant something to him, and he whispered back,

“I know.” For a few silent moments after this and at the point it seemed like we were at a standstill, he finally asked me the difficult question.

“So we have established what you didn’t want to happen, but what I want to know most of all is what you do want… so tell me… What do you want, Ella?” he asked again, this time doing so in a way that caused a painful pang in my chest, and made me even close my eyes as if this would help ease the ache.

It didn’t.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“Bullshit,” he said, calling it, and like usual, just saying it as it was.

“What do you want from me, Jared?” I asked, turning the table on him.

“The truth would be nice,” he replied, making me flinch, taking the hit.

“I tried that, Beastman, you didn’t want to listen.”

“Don’t give me that,” he argued back, making me release a frustrated sigh. So, we were doing this then, I thought bitterly.

“You don’t want the truth, Jared, for if you did, you would have never come all this way to try and claim me.”

“Already half claimed you, Sweetheart, don’t forget that,” he stated like this was something that was set in sacred stone in some hidden temple of the Gods.

“Yes, and I’m paying the price for it,” I replied, unable to keep that bitter edge from my voice.

“Fuck that, there is no fucking price to pay, and you fucking know it, Ella!” he snapped angrily.

“That price is called guilt, Jared, and don’t you dare try and tell me I don’t feel it, not when I feel it heavy enough I think any minute it’s going fucking bury me!” I shouted back and at this, I could tell he lost some of his irritation. I knew that when the sigh he expelled also blew the air from his sails, one that had been riding the waves of his anger.

“Fine, I won’t tell you that you don’t feel it, but that isn’t going to stop me from telling you that it’s a fucking waste, as you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about, baby girl.” I actually tensed at how nice it felt hearing him call me that. Like a soothing solace to mend the edges of my heart, one that I knew no matter the words he said, nothing would fix it fully.

Not when I knew who was destined to be his.

It wasn’t me.

“Gods, Ella, can you just stop for five fucking minutes!” he snapped again, making my head snap back up at the same time my surprised expression found his frustrated one.

“Stop what?” I asked

“You have an expressive face, babe, and for someone who just spent the last two weeks taking in my fill, trust me when I say it’s like reading a book.” I tore my face away from his at this.

“Is that right… you just know everything then, don’t you?” I snapped angrily.

“Yeah, I do, and right now its titled, ‘the pointless fucking guilt I feel’ or you gonna deny that too?”

“No, actually it would be called, ‘why the fuck did I think it was a good idea to come down here!’ that’s a better title!” I threw back, now wiping away the angry tears that beat the heartbroken ones before them.

“A bit wordy, don’t you think?” he joked, making me growl at him and the bastard even smiled. I started shaking my head and said again in a deflated tone,

“I shouldn’t have come.”

“You shouldn’t go,” he countered, making me release a deep sigh.

“And you shouldn’t have followed me.” At this he tensed his jaw for half a second before telling me,

“Don’t you get it by now, Ella…? I would follow you to the ends of the earth if that’s where you thought you could try and hide from me.”

“What about Blood Rock?” I said, knowing that I really shouldn’t have given him this… shouldn’t have given him the name of where he could find me…Lucius’s Castle. But his reaction surprised me because at this he laughed once without humour and said,

“Oh, so that’s the plan, is it? That’s where you think you can hide yourself away from me?”

“I’ve been told you won’t be able to get to me in there and I will be protected,” I said, feeling the need to defend my decision.

“Yeah, good luck with that, Darlin’,” he scoffed, making me frown before telling him,

“Either way, it doesn’t matter. I just came down here to tell you… to say that…” I stammered, knowing now the time had come to say it all, even if it felt as if I was being choked with sand. As if I was going against some great force of nature by doing so.

“What? Some more bullshit excuses ‘cause you’re scared?” he snapped.

“Fine, you want it, here it is… this is the end, Jared, and all that is left is to say goodbye for the last time.”

“Ah, so I was right, bullshit then?” he commented dryly, making me clench my fists in angry frustration.

“It’s not bullshit! What it clearly is, is fucking pointless!” I shouted back, making him narrow his gaze at me.

“Then finally we agree, because that’s exactly what saying goodbye is, Ella… fucking pointless… and do you know why that is, Baby…?” I turned my head away at this, knowing I couldn’t look at him anymore, it was too painful to watch. To watch his anger growing and with it, his utter refusal to accept this was for the best. That it was time for him to let me go. And with it, this false claim.

“It’s pointless because it is never going to happen… Never. This goodbye of yours, along with some fucking grand gesture of guilt, it’s all fucking pointless, along with your stubborn ass thinking that you can just walk away from me. Because I told you before, babe, there is no magic wishes to make, no magic spells to speak, and no magic potions to take that will ever sever this bond… there never was and pretty soon, you will understand that too.” I shook my head and said,

“It’s just words, Jared, and do you know how I know that?” He didn’t answer so I carried on regardless.

“Because the chains around your wrists and the bars of this cell that surround you tell me that when I walk away, you can do nothing to stop me. And as for this goodbye you don’t believe in, well that’s unfortunate, because here it is…” I paused long enough so I could brave walking closer to him, just so I could touch him one last time. It was a mistake. I knew that. But it was also one I was willing to commit because I knew that if I didn’t, I would never forgive myself.

Forgive myself for walking away without…

One last kiss.

So, I placed my hand on his cheek, making his eyes glow with such intensity, its blaze was being ignited behind the windows to his soul, one I was currently lighting on fire.

“My goodbye…” I whispered before placing my lips to his and kissing him, making me cry out with the force of emotion it created. It was one he swallowed up and soon my pain was something tangible. Something he could feel as my body shuddered against him. Something he could hear as my heart pounded in my chest, drumming against his own. And finally, something he could taste as my tears started to fall, dripping salty droplets down my cheeks until finding the creases of our joined lips.

Finally, I tore myself away, and for once was free to do so as his hands were tied. And boy, didn’t he know it, as the anger at being denied what he wanted came in the form of a deep, rumbling growl.

Jesus, but it felt like being in a cage with a wild beast, and I found my eyes snapping to the chains the second he fought against them when I started to back away. Now I was asking myself if they were even strong enough as the runes flashed with sparks of white, signalling the added power that was obviously needed.

“I’m… sorry… I have to go… I have to get out of here… aunty Kaz!” I shouted suddenly, banging a fist against the barred door.

“Wait!” Jared shouted, making me turn around as he had stopped fighting against his chains. As soon as our eyes met, I knew he was trying to rein in his anger and calm himself down. Maybe he didn’t want my last memories of him to be me running in fear.

Maybe he just realized that there was no other way to stop this and that we both deserved some kind of closure. Some kind of peace.

A real goodbye.

Of course, I was wrong. I knew that the moment he asked,

“What did Keira want you to tell me?” I released a pained sigh and told him,

“She wanted me to tell you that she is sorry and a word she said you would understand.” At this he seemed to school his features for some reason, as if not wanting to give away his true thoughts.

“Which was?” he asked, and I don’t know why but I hesitated, as if a bad feeling of mistrust had just rippled across my skin and down my spine. But then I also had to remember that despite having reasons to distrust Jared, I didn’t have any reasons to distrust my aunt. Not someone who had only ever helped me during this whole thing.

So, with this in mind, I released a small sigh and told him the word.

A word I didn’t know at the time was all he needed.

Needed to be free…

“Libertas.”

33

THREATS, VOWS AND THE MORTAL IN BETWEEN

As soon as I said the word, his eyes glimmered with some sort of knowledge, like someone just whispered a secret in his ear.

A secret he needed to know.

Honestly, it was a look that scared me. Because knowing Jared and that tenacious side of his personality the way that I did, well let’s just say even being chained up wouldn’t stop him. I knew that, even before I came down here. Which meant that I was left walking away feeling like a fool. Because a goodbye to Jared meant nothing unless it was coming from his own lips.

Unless he was the one letting me go.

Which was why I knew that my only option now was to rely on Amelia and her Vampire to keep me out of his reach. And my hope was that with time apart, it would make whatever effects claiming me had afflicted him with disappear. That he would realise this was all a mistake I had started and therefore, this was my responsibility to fix it. Because I knew you didn’t just fall out of love with the wife you had been obsessed with finding for hundreds of years. The one he had spent the entirety of his supernatural life looking for and believing was his Chosen One. No, you didn’t just lose that, you didn’t just taste someone else’s blood one day and then bam, that love was lost just like that. Like some kind of hurricane had just swept on through his memories and taken her away, replacing them all with my name.

A storm named Ella.

I couldn’t do that to him. But most importantly, I couldn’t let him do that to himself. So, despite how much I loved him, despite how much I wanted to be selfish in the worst way and despite my own obsession, I knew walking away was the right thing to do.

The only thing to do.

“Aunty Kaz!” I shouted, making Jared growl once before telling me with frightening calm,

“That’s pointless.” I frowned before falling for the bait again and asking,

“It’s not… she’s… my aunt, she’s right behind this…” At this he cut through my reply with a frightening one of his own.

“She isn’t coming for you, Ella.” This time I sucked in a quick breath and snapped,

“You can’t get to me. You’re chained up in a cell, Jared, so just what do you think you can do?!” This was the wrong thing to say, as clearly, taunting the ability of his Beast was not wise.

“Oh there is plenty I can do… you see, my father always taught me an important lesson growing up,” he told me, and instantly I had a bad feeling about this. Naturally, I asked regardless.

“And that is?” This was asked with my eyes still to the door ahead, hoping it would open any second and prove him wrong. That my aunt was coming for me and that dread I felt was unwarranted.

But then he answered me, and that hope vanished.

“The power held when others underestimate you.” I glanced back behind me to see him grinning, making me shake my fear away before banging my hand against the bars and shout even louder this time,

“Aunty Kazzy, I’m ready to leave!” At this Jared caused my fear to grow when he threatened,

“But I am not ready to let you go.” I finally found the bravery to look behind me at this, doing so for longer and just in time to watch as he started to lift himself up. He did this by gripping onto the chains above his shackled wrists and I couldn’t help but gulp at the sight of those intimidating biceps bulging, looking even bigger than usual as their strength easily lifted him up. I watched wide-eyed as his feet crossed as they rose from the floor making my back find the bars, shaking my head, now terrified as to what was about to happen. Especially when he lifted himself up so his head was level with his captured wrists.

“Wh…wh…what… are you…?” I never got to complete my stammered sentence. Never got to finish that dreaded question as I watched him whisper the very same word I had given him with his lips against the metal that kept him restrained. The very word my aunt had given to me. A word that the moment it was spoken, started to make the runes and symbols around his wrists begin to glow and move as if they were taking on a life of their own. A golden light that grew brighter the quicker they started to spin, until soon I heard the unmistakable sound…

Locks unlocking.

It was at this point that I really started to freak out, and despite what I now knew was my aunt being involved in helping him, I still rattled my weight against the bars and screamed her name,

“KAZ! AUNTY KAZ!” This didn’t last long as soon, I felt his intense presence behind me, before I felt a large hand covering my mouth, silencing my screams for help.

“Ssshh now, calm down, baby girl,” he hummed close to my ear, making me shudder against him.

“I’m not going to hurt you… well… maybe a little,” he said, and as he spoke the words, I froze in fright before I began to try and fight him to get free. However, I was no match for his strength and was quickly subdued in my efforts when I was pressed face-up against the bars more firmly.

“Now, I am going to move my hand away, but if I do, are you going to play nice or do you want to fight me some more and exhaust yourself?” I nodded in his hold, knowing it was useless. So, he dropped his hold on my mouth, doing so enough for me to hiss,

“My uncle will hunt you down if you hurt me.” At this he chuckled before telling me,

“He won’t need to hunt me down for hurting you, and neither will he for kidnapping you, just as I intend to do,” he told me, making me gasp.

“It’s locked, how are you hoping to get out… my aunt… she told me that you need the blood of the fated?” I tested and as soon as I did, I felt his knowing grin against my cheek before he kissed me there and invoked another shameful, sexual shiver to ripple against his chest.

“Something she gave to me the second she let you walk in here, for she didn’t just give me the key to the chains, Ella.” This was when he reached for my hand, shackling my own wrist this time. Then he lifted it up, making me cry out a little before stammering out,

“Please… I don’t know what you…”

“Ssshh now… this is only going to hurt a little, Red,” he told me, before kissing his way up my wrist as if trying to soothe my fear of what he would do next, totally ignoring the way I tried to fight my way free of him. But with the way he had used his body to pin me to the bars, keeping me there and where he wanted me, even I knew it was hopeless.

“No… don’t… Ahhh.” This plea ended in a hopeless one when he suddenly spun me around to face him. I gasped in shock, one this time that ended on a cry of pain as he bit down on my fingers. In fact, I was still crying out when he pulled my fingers free of his fangs and forced my hand out to the side. He then pushed my fingers through the bars at the same time he swallowed the sound of my pain by crushing his lips to mine, silencing my outraged cry.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard the sound of locks moving, at the same time I felt his grin start to warp the kiss into something bitter, knowing now he had exactly what he wanted.

His freedom.

But just as I was about to try and fight against him once again, that’s when my limbs began to feel sluggish. I felt myself start to sag against him as he was forced to take more of my weight. Something that became easier now that I was no longer fighting against him. I then felt him take my pierced fingers into his mouth, so he could seal the small puncture marks he had made after making my fingers drip blood into the small dish by the lock.

After this I sagged even more, knowing something serious was wrong.

However, Jared didn’t ask me. He didn’t ask me what was wrong.

As though he knew the cause.

That’s when I realised he wasn’t just relying on a whispered word at all. He wasn’t just relying on my blood to open the lock. No, he was relying on one more thing for this plan of his to work. A plan he wasn’t alone in. I knew that the moment my body lost the last remaining ability to hold itself up as Jared took over completely and lifted me fully into his arms.

“N-n-no… y-y-you… Cannn’t” I slurred as my mind felt drunk… no not drunk… drugged.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Red, as I am doing just that and maybe next time, you will never underestimate a HellBeast again… but most of all… never underestimate a King when claiming his Queen.” I made a slight sound of protest, my last, and I felt my eyes close as he cooed down at me,

“Time to sleep, baby… sleep, my Wild One.”

“I swear, if I hear you have hurt her again, then the King will be the least of your problems, Jared.” I vaguely heard my aunt’s voice after this, but found I was still unable to open my eyes. However, I still felt the tears start to form under them at the pain I felt at being betrayed by her. Knowing now that she wasn’t only the one who had made sure Jared could escape, but also the one who had agreed to drug me.

“I will guard her with my life, you know this,” Jared replied, making my aunt remind him,

“I am not talking about her body, Jared, but her heart.”

“You don’t need to worry,” he told her again, and even as I started to lose consciousness, that fight inside me wanted to argue against this. I even felt my head shaking a little, making him tuck me tighter to his chest.

“What will you do about the King?” Jared asked, making my aunt scoff.

“Now of that, you don’t need to worry, as you can leave my husband to me but remember, just because I owed you this, that doesn’t mean I won’t go back on it the second I find out that you…”

“She is my Queen and my Chosen, Keira, so you know what this means,” Jared interrupted what I knew was going to be another threat from my aunt not to hurt me.

“Very well. Sophia and Pip will show you the way, and Orth will be waiting for you, while I go and deal with Draven. I hope you know what you’re doing, Jared, but above all else, you keep my niece safe.”

“With my life, Keira, that will never change.” He paused and I felt myself being lifted higher in his arms as this time, he whispered down to me as he walked away.

Walked away with only one thing on his mind.

“Finally, it’s time for you to be…”

“The HellBeast’s Claimed.”

To be Continued in

The HellBeast’s Prisoner

Book 5

Coming Soon

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Well first and foremost my love goes out to all the people who deserve the most thanks which is you the FANS!

Without you wonderful people in my life, I would most likely still be serving burgers and writing in my spare time like some dirty little secret, with no chance to share my stories with the world.

You enable me to continue living out my dreams every day and for that I will be eternally grateful to each and every one of you!

Your support is never ending. Your trust in me and the story is never failing.  But more than that, your love for me and all who you consider your ‘Afterlife family’ is to be commended, treasured and admired.  Thank you just doesn’t seem enough, so one day I hope to meet you all and buy you all a drink! ;) 

To my family…

To my crazy mother, who had believed in me since the beginning and doesn't think that something great should be hidden from the world. I would like to thank you for all the hard work you put into my books and the endless hours spent caring about my words and making sure it is the best it can be for everyone to enjoy. You, along with the Hudson Indie Ink team make Afterlife shine.

To my crazy father who is and always has been my hero in life.Your strength astonishes me, even to this day!  The love and care you hold for your family is a gift you give to the Hudson name.

To my lovely sister,

If Peter Pan had a female version, it would be you and Wendy combined. You have always been my big, little sister and another person in my life that has always believed me capable of doing great things. You were the one who gave Afterlife its first identity and I am honored to say that you continue to do so even today. We always dreamed of being able to work together and I am thrilled that we made it happened when you agreed to work as a designer at Hudson Indie Ink.

And last but not least, to the man that I consider my soul mate. The man who taught me about real love and makes me not only want to be a better person but makes me feel I am too. The amount of support you have given me since we met has been incredible and the greatest feeling was finding out you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me when you asked me to marry you. 

All my love to my dear husband and my own personal Draven…  Mr Blake Hudson.

To My Team…

I am so fortunate enough to rightly state the claim that I have the best team in the world!

It is a rare thing indeed to say that not a single person that works for Hudson Indie Ink doesn’t feel like family, but there you have it. We Are a Family.

Sarah your editing is a stroke of genius and you, like others in my team, work incredibly hard to make the Afterlife world what it was always meant to be. But your personality is an utter joy to experience and getting to be a part of your crazy feels like a gift.

Sloane, it is an honor to call you friend and have you not only working for Hudson Indie Ink but also to have such a talented Author represented by us. Your formatting is flawless and makes my books look more polished than ever before.

Xen, your artwork is always a masterpiece that blows me away and again, I am lucky to have you not only a valued member of my team but also as another talented Author represented by Hudson Indie Ink.

Lisa, my social media butterfly and count down Queen! I was so happy when you accepted to work with us, as I knew you would fit in perfectly with our family! Please know you are a dear friend to me and are a such an asset to the team. Plus, your backward dancing is the stuff of legends!

Libby, as our newest member of the team but someone I consider one of my oldest and dearest friends, you came in like a whirlwind of ideas and totally blew me away with your level of energy! You fit in instantly and I honestly don’t know what Hudson Indie Ink would do without you. What you have achieved in such a short time is utterly incredible and want you to know you are such an asset to the team!

And last but by certainly not least is the wonderful Claire, my right-hand woman! I honestly have nightmares about waking one day and finding you not working for Hudson Indie Ink. You are the backbone of the company and without you and all your dedicated, hard work, there would honestly be no Hudson Indie Ink!

You have stuck by me for years, starting as a fan and quickly becoming one of my best friends. You have supported me for years and without fail have had my back through thick and thin, the ups and the downs. I could quite honestly write a book on how much you do and how lost I would be without you in my life!

I love you honey x

Thanks to all of my team for the hard work and devotion to the saga and myself. And always going that extra mile, pushing Afterlife into the spotlight you think it deserves.  Basically helping me achieve my secret goal of world domination one day…evil laugh time… Mwahaha! Joking of course ;) 

Another personal thank you goes to my dear friend Caroline Fairbairn and her wonderful family that have embraced my brand of crazy into their lives and given it a hug when most needed. 

For their friendship I will forever be eternally grateful.

As before, a big shout has to go to all my wonderful fans who make it their mission to spread the Afterlife word and always go the extra mile. Those that have remained my fans all these years and supported me, my Afterlife family, you also meant the world to me.

All my eternal love and gratitude,

Stephanie x

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephanie Hudson has dreamed of being a writer ever since her obsession with reading books at an early age. What first became a quest to overcome the boundaries set against her in the form of dyslexia has turned into a life's dream. She first started writing in the form of poetry and soon found a taste for horror and romance. Afterlife is her first book in the series of twelve, with the story of Keira and Draven becoming ever more complicated in a world that sets them miles apart.

When not writing, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her loving family and friends, chatting for hours with her biggest fan, her sister Cathy who is utterly obsessed with one gorgeous Dominic Draven. And of course, spending as much time with her supportive partner and personal muse, Blake who is there for her no matter what.

Author’s words.

My love and devotion is to all my wonderful fans that keep me going into the wee hours of the night but foremost to my wonderful daughter Ava...who yes, is named after a cool, kick-ass, Demonic bird and my sons, Jack, who is a little hero and Baby Halen, who yes, keeps me up at night but it’s okay because he is named after a Guitar legend!

Keep updated with all new release news & more on my website

www.afterlifesaga.com

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ALSO BY STEPHANIE HUDSON

Afterlife Saga

Afterlife

The Two Kings

The Triple Goddess

The Quarter Moon

The Pentagram Child - Part 1

The Pentagram Child - Part 2

The Cult of the Hexad

Sacrifice of the Septimus - Part 1

Sacrifice of the Septimus - Part 2

Blood of the Infinity War

Happy Ever Afterlife - Part 1

Happy Ever Afterlife - Part 2

The Forbidden Chapters

*

Transfusion Saga

Transfusion

Venom of God

Blood of Kings

Rise of Ashes

Map of Sorrows

Tree of Souls

Kingdoms of Hell

Eyes of Crimson

Roots of Rage

Heart of Darkness

Wraith of Fire

Queen of Sins

*

King of Kings

Dravens Afterlife

Dravens Electus

*

Kings of Afterlife

Vincent's Immortal Curse

The Hellbeast King

The Hellbeast’s Fight

The Hellbeast’s Mistake

The Hellbeast’s Claim

*

The Shadow Imp Series

Imp and the Beast

Beast and the Imp

*

Afterlife Academy: (Young Adult Series)

The Glass Dagger

The Hells Ring

The Reaper’s Book

*

Stephanie Hudson and Blake Hudson

The Devil in Me

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Sci-fi/Fantasy

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Crime/Action

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