Animal Heart (Beast & Beauty) (16 page)

They leapt in, sat, and faced each other on the floor.

“You first,” she growled softly and settled to watch.

He transformed in his usual three and a half minutes, gently pushing the facial changes. He really didn't like that part. It was the only part which actually hurt at all. His nose ached as it flattened, and his teeth throbbed as they retracted and reformed. Fully changed, he slipped on his underwear, closed the window, and lie down on the bed.

“Go for it, baby,” he said with a grin, rubbing and tugging at her ears. He sat on the end of the bed and waited for her beautifully fast change. But this time he really was shocked. She seemed to morph before his eyes. In a few seconds she was human. No straining, no stretching, and no noise. He blinked, his mouth dropping open in awe. As did hers.

“Oh my God... What happened?” she asked in shock.

“Maddy, my sweetheart...” he said slowly, the light dawning, as he stared deeply into her eyes, “I think you must be a shifter. No normal werewolf I know can do that. No she-wolf I know looks like you do either. Your wolf is too beautiful for words. Shifters are the most prized beings in our world. I can't believe it. Really, I can't. I never thought I'd ever see one, let alone love one.”

“What does it mean? To be a shifter?” she asked, sitting down on the bed, naked, so naturally lithe and beautiful and completely at ease with him.

“I don't know that much. Only that they exist and have special abilities. I don't think we've seen all you can do yet. We'll need to take care over the next few days. I imagine the full moon will bring that all out in you. It's when we're the most powerful of all. Theoretically. Of course in reality it means we're all deadly. But you... I'm not sure what's gonna happen with you my love.”

“I don't want to be a shifter. Why can't I be like you?”

“Oh no... It's a blessing. You're blessed Maddy. It's a wonderful thing to be, and after the day you've had you deserve something like this.”

“Are you sure?” she asked with worried eyes.

“Of course I am!” he assured her, opening his arms wide as she slipped into them. He hugged her close for a while, stroking her hair and back until she finally pulled away.

“I'm just having a quick shower and then I'll come to bed.”

“Okay honey.” He watched as her peachy little ass disappeared inside his bathroom.

Deep down, he wasn't that sure about her blessing. He was having broken memories of something he'd heard long ago, worrying thoughts about shifters only ever being male...  He couldn't remember any more, but he was determined to find out.

Tomorrow.

Actually that would be today as the time was already half past one in the morning. It was the eve of the full moon. Later today they would all go to town, have a few drinks, and settle into their locked up safe-houses outside town until dawn. They'd done this how many times now? Sixty, seventy, eighty? He couldn't remember.

But never with a shifter in their pack.

First thing in the morning he'd talk with Shane and Lucas... maybe even lover boy Cal, if he could tempt him out of Mia's arms for a while. The broader their knowledge was the better. He aimed to find out all he could about shifters.

To be forewarned was to be forearmed and he aimed to be just that.

He drifted off for a moment.

She kissed him out of his light slumber.

“You need to sleep Maddy. Get some rest now,” he suggested sleepily, kissing her softly and lazily in return, and nestling her naked, fresh fragranced and very desirable body against his.

“I know what I want and it's not sleep. I want you to love me 'till the sun comes up. I want you to take away my nightmare day. I'll face it when I have to, but now, make love to me... Please?”

“Hey, you don't have to beg me. I thought you might be tired that's all.”

“I'm not tired. I've never been more awake. Are you tired?”

“Tired? Me... No never. I hardly ever sleep...” he joked. He was dead beat in fact, all that driving and sex and emotional trauma had just about knocked him for a loop... But despite that, he was ready and up to the task. Well his cock was anyway. That always sprang to life when she was in his arms. He was quite sure that part of him could handle the whole love making thing completely on its own, while he took a well earned nap. But not tonight, she was getting the full works, even if he had to slap and pinch himself awake to do it.

His hands slid around her head and he brought her mouth to his. As they kissed each other into a wild fiery inferno, his heart melted over and over in bliss.

She lapped at his tongue with all her worth, she needed to get at every part of him. Like he was a drug and she was totally addicted to his love. His lips left hers, and for a moment she felt bereft of his heated mouth against hers. But his tongue took up residence on her neck, covering it in delightful wet licks and sucks which thrilled her as he nibbled and caressed. She sighed and shivered with a
nticipation. He continued to nip and lick up and down her neck and around her ears. A sweet trail of love that made her heart sing.  He came to the base of her throat. The soft spot where her collar bones met and he tipped her head back and licked up and down her throat, his tongue pushing against her vulnerable pulse at its base.

“
How I love that,” she gasped, fisting his hair roughly, and digging her nails into his scalp.

He continued to lap at her throat as she pushed herself against him with growing urgency, little moans escaping from her mouth.

His head lowered, moving down to her breasts, he took one into his mouth. His fingers trailed down her stomach and she opened her legs wide to let him touch. She ached for this. Every single cell in her body was dying for him.

Most of all she wanted his head, down there, tonguing her. He sucked at her nipple as his fingertips began to arouse her gently. With the softest touch she could have imagined. Feather-light strokes all around her clit made her groan with desire and need. As he sucked at her and touched her, she felt herself bloom inside. Like the sun was coming up. The heat built fast as the pleasure arose. She felt it escalate faster than ever before to a high, and suddenly she spilled over, as waves of orgasm took her away. His fingers slipped inside her as she arched her back with a deep animal groan.

“Aden, baby...” she gasped in wonder, swallowing the little pool of saliva that had formed in her open, gasping mouth.

“
Sshhh, don't talk...” he said, as his fingers gently left her wet heat and he moved himself down her body.

Her deepest desire was coming true. She rested on her elbows and watched him as he positioned his head between her legs. He stroked her with his forefinger, from the top of her inner softness to her wet entrance. His eyes flickered with deep desire and he gulped as his mouth drew close. She waited for it with baited breath... the first touch of his tongue. Fingers were lovely, but tongues were something special. He flicked it over her sensitive nub and her whole chest heaved in reaction. Her breathing shot off the scale. He rubbed the warm silky wet flat of it gently back and forth and round and round as her mind was blown completely away. She flopped back and widened her legs as far as they would go to get more of it.

“That's it, relax… This is all for you sweetheart,” he growled out so beautifully she could have cried. His stubbly face grazed around her inner thighs and across her tender skin, making her tingle inside. His tongue returned to lap at her aroused clit and she lost all control. She shoved herself against his face and tore at his hair in a wild frenzy. His tongue speared up inside her and then he pulled out again, licking her back and forth with an amazing skill and rhythm that made her cry out with delight. She didn't want it to end, but she felt another wave of intense pleasure approaching. Her body went into spasm and he buried his fingers deeply as his tongue continued to rub mercilessly at her. She tried to pull away, as it became too sensitive to bear, but he pulled her back.

“
Oh no honey, this is the big one... Hang in there...” he murmured, encouraging her. She let go and relaxed against his mouth and her over-sensitised feelings subsided fast. She suddenly turned into a liquefied, heated mass inside. Her heart was pumping wildly as she entered the unknown. She felt his fingers and thumbs working at her insides magically as his tongue sucked and licked. Her whole body exploded in a massive surge of pleasure and she heard herself scream in shock at the force of it. He moved up her body swiftly and took her with one fast push, and then, thrusting inside her like a madman, he rode her waves of pleasure as if they were his own

“
Aden, my love... I've never, ever...” She couldn't finish her sentence because tears began rolling down her face and her throat was so tight with emotion that it took her breath away. She couldn't even think of the right words to describe her feelings.

“
Oh God, I love you,” he said with deep feeling as his mouth descended on hers, and his body began to spasm furiously as well. He gulped against her neck over and over.

She let out the most enormous sigh of satisfaction, her whole chest heaving with it.

“Tired yet, baby?” he asked with a none too subtle yawn.

“
Absolutely fucking exhausted and spent,” she yawned back.

He chuckled against the skin of her neck and kissed her ear.

Then they both fell instantly asleep, locked together, hot and sweaty, and completely saturated in love.

They sat in Lucas' room, mid morning, Shane, Lucas, Cal, and himself. They all looked like absolute shit and probably felt like it too. She-wolves had a lot to answer for, and judging by Cal's bloodshot eyes, alcohol did too.

“What I'm about to tell you goes no further. Understood?” Aden said, looking at their curious and expectant faces. They all gave their agreement, nodding and muttering.

“It appears Maddy's a shifter.”

“You're kidding me, man!” Cal exclaimed loudly.

“I don't joke about things like that Cal, believe me. And the thing is… I don't know what it means. For her, and for us, the pack.”

“Well I know some...” Cal said with a deep sigh. “Jeez and fuck man.” He lit a cigarette and started puffing at it ferociously as if he didn't know where to start...

“So, come on, tell us,” Aden urged impatiently with a splutter as the smoke wafted into his nostrils.

“They're spirited wolf-folk,” Cal revealed, a touch mysteriously.

“As in how? Super strong, badly behaved, what?” Shane probed.

“No, as in they can leave their bodies and travel,” Cal explained, taking a long draw.

“You have got to be joking?” Lucas asked incredulously, his eyes wide with the obvious potential danger.

“Look at this fucking face... Is it laughing?” Cal replied seriously.

“So what happens when they... err, travel?” Aden asked.

“They rip everything in their path to shreds,” he said coolly.

“Are you telling me that there's no physical way to contain their full moon spirit?” Aden asked in horror.

“That's exactly what I'm saying. The only plus is that they won't harm their own kind. But any human is meat, pure and simple man... Jus' meat.”

“What about drugs, sedatives...?” Aden suggested.

“You know drugs have no effect on werewolves at full moon. Life would be nice and simple for us if we could knock ourselves out, wouldn't it? Shifters are no different in that respect.”

“So do we need to take her far away from here, somewhere she can't do any major damage?”

“She's a werewolf spirit. She needs to find what she seeks. Time, space, and bonds mean nothin' at all. They're merciless. She'll kill tonight Aden. I'm sorry.”

“How d'you know this?”

“I've come across one of her kind. His name was Liam. He was a quiet and wholesome guy at heart, but his wolf was a fiend... No, make that a demon. And he always ate the head of his kill. Every last fucking piece, except the skull.”

They all shuddered at the thought.

“But Cal, the little I know is different. I heard they each had special abilities. I've never heard anything about them being unstoppable killing machines. Are you sure they're all like this?” Aden demanded with desperation sounding in his voice.

“Well no. I've only ever met the fuckin' one, aint I?”

“Then it could be different for her, couldn't it?”

“It sure could. But how the hell do we know?”

“We don't. We can only hope can't we? Look, we can't tell her anything. She's in hell at the moment. Her parents are dead, it's her first full moon, and she's more than scared about it all,” Aden implored.

“Hey, I ain't tellin' the 'lil lady nothin'. She's a doll and I'm a peaceful lovin' kinda guy,” Cal carried on. “But I tell 'ya one other 'lil thing I knows, purely based on Liam, if she senses any ill will or danger to her kind, she'll wipe 'em out. I wouldn't be at all surprised if your Mayor and his roly-poly wife were dinner tonight.”

“Well I can't say I'd be sorry to be rid of Bill and Philomena Stevens... But to be honest, I don't want them dead! They're just pains in the ass. What if we go to Calgary or deep in the forest? Will they be safe?”

“You ain't listenin' man! She don't know about distance. They could be in London, Moscow, or Cairo. She'll get 'em. Mark my words. If she's like killer Liam. But she could be Mother fucking Theresa for all I know... And I don't know, do I? The only way we'll know for sure is to wait and look at the fallout tomorrow, because none of us are gonna be watching her, are we?”

Maddy sat in the truck, between their guest, big biker Cal, and Aden, feeling strangely relaxed and calm. She couldn't understand why the rest of them were so jittery. She had seen them concentrating hard, furrowing their brows deeply, and keeping back their urges to transform. Whatever being a shifter meant, it had positive aspects to it. She had no difficult issues with the moon cycles. At least, not yet.

On the other hand, it might be better if she did. It'd stop her from dwelling on things. Her parents mainly. She kept remembering painful little things about them. The way her mother took ages to apply her mascara and picked at her lashes with a pin to separate them. How her father lined his books in perfect size order on his bookshelf. Her mother's perfect pastry, she prided herself on that. No one could make pies like her mother. Shane and Aden would have loved her cherry pie and other silly little things. Like the special way she folded the towels in the bathroom. They curled over the towel hoop like cute little tulips. Her father's immaculate stripes on the front lawn. How he loved his scotch on the rocks and listening to his ghastly German brass band symphonies full blast. Those odd little things made them who they are. Or were. She felt their loss so badly. It hit her like a heavyweight punch in the gut. She suddenly burst into tears and didn't seem able to stop. Aden patted her leg lovingly and handed her a handful of tissues, as she bawled her eyes out and snuffled for the umpteenth time.

“Hey Maddy love. I'm so sorry for your pain. But I'll tell 'ya this. It'll pass, and ya'll remember the best things. Lost one of mine in the same way. A good few years back now. My pa was a big part of my life. Didn't think I'd ever get over it.” Cal gave her a quick hug that damn near squeezed every ounce of breath from her body.

“I know, I know... It's gonna take time. But I can't stop my tears. I fill up the minute I think about them.”

“Yeah. It's hard. Losin' both 'ya folks like that, honey. I feel for 'ya. Have a good cry, it'll help.”

She gradually quieted down and tried to think of other things. Anything, to take away the hurt.

They pulled into Ted's bar and they all piled out. Aden went in first. She'd noticed that already. He tended to lead the pack wherever they went.

Ted, the owner, called out in greeting.

“Hey... Guys!”

“Hiya Ted... Run a tab will you. I'll pick it up in a few days.”

“Yeah, I know... the usual three days of boozin' and you pay me in full.  My lady says she often sees ya'll going back to the ranch in the mornings, where the hell do 'ya sleep at night, eh?”

“We sleep it off in cheap rooms,” Aden replied cheekily.

“We ain't got any cheap rooms in Heart... I bet you crash in that truck of yours, dontcha?”

“What, that old crate? We've got much nicer places to stay, don't we guys? Deluxe rented rooms...”

They all replied with a resounding laugh.

After a few drinks and even a few more, Maddy was feeling happy. She still had no urge to change at all. She noticed a few patches of fur and orange eyes amongst their pack. In fact Jamie had a snout forming at one stage. Thankfully there weren't any others in the bar. It was early, before sundown. Ted was pre-occupied, serving and clearing up, so he wasn't aware of anything amiss, or extraordinary occurring within his clientele.

Aden rounded them up at seven. The sun would be setting soon. They all piled back into the truck in good humor, a little trashed, and set off. They approached the yard, literally two minutes outside of town, and prepared to get out. As they pulled into the front of it, they all stared in horror. Suddenly, they became very sober. There was no yard. The fences had gone. The containers had gone. All that was left was their winter ski gear, sleds, and some fodder abandoned on the concrete before them. A large crudely painted sign sat on top that read, “Legal Seizure”.

A piece of paper was pinned to the sign, fluttering in the breeze. Aden got out of the truck and stalked across to it. He plucked it from its nail, read it, and brought it back, shoving it in her hand, with a grim expression.

“All containers removed by order of Mayor W. Stevens, in collaboration with RCMP - K Division, Sergeant P. Stevens – Subject to forensic investigation for illegal contraband including possible live animal trafficking.”

“Those stupid fucking people,” he spat out to the others. “They've confiscated all our containers to get forensic evidence!”

“Shit Ade, what the hell are we gonna do?” Shane asked him with panic in his voice.

“Chain ourselves to a tree. That's what I've done before,” Cal suggested. “Never had a problem yet.”

“That's probably all we can do,” Aden agreed. “But unfortunately it's getting late and we don't have any chain.”

“I'll go get some from town,” Ben suggested.

Aden grabbed his arm.

“Look at the sun... There's no time. We need to get away from here fucking fast.”

The sun was waning rapidly and time was so precious.

Maddy could see orange eyes beginning to glow all around her. She assumed hers were too, but of course she didn't know. She still felt calm. She couldn't understand it. Surely she should feel strange, nervous... something different? She stared at the sun. It was so low it would be gone in ten minutes.

“Let's go,” Aden said in a loud urgent voice. They all piled back on board and he drove like a mad demon, off towards town for a few hundred yards, and then hurtling right, up the mountainside, along a small dirt track, between the trees.

“No one lives up this way. We'll be out of earshot at least,” he explained.

Five minutes later he pulled up at a large clearing in the trees. They jumped out and spread out around the clearing as darkness descended.

Then it started… The transformation began to take them over…

For a minute or two she sat in the truck, staring at the beautiful full moon, which she had always loved to look at before. How she hated it now. She prayed to God with all her heart that they would survive this night.

The half-human howling, shrieking sounds they were making caused her hair to stand on end all over her body. Bravely, she left the truck, in her human form, and grabbing a flashlight, she walked around the clearing looking at them all, one by one. She was mesmerised by their emerging ferocity. Their eyes were evil, orange and harsh, nothing like the normal wolf transformation at all. Their claws were slashing wildly and blindly around their half-changed forms.  Aden was no longer the Aden she knew. Mia was not Mia. Shane was not Shane. She could see nothing of her new family inside them. Nothing at all.

A long ear piercing howl filled the air ahead and Lucas stood up, taking a few long strides, moving straight towards her. She started to run, back to the truck in terror, but it was too far... How completely fucking stupid of her... She turned to face him, armed literally with only a flashlight.

“Leave me alone, you bastard...” she screamed loudly as she shifted into her wolf form, her clothes ripping and falling off her, as she prepared to fight the savage creature that was almost upon her, baring its massive fangs. She braced herself for the fight, but to her astonishment, he swerved and shot straight past her, ignoring her completely, bounding off to do his evil in the night.  She jumped up on the back of the truck and stood high on the roof, waiting nervously to see what would happen next. Would the pack attack each other... or try to kill her? One she-wolf couldn't contain a raging pack of a dozen others. She knew her limitations. She was ready to leap down and fly like the wind if one of them made a move towards her.

Suddenly Aden's wolf form came out of the darkness towards her, menacing, wild and huge, his long legs carrying him fast towards the lights of the town, already twinkling below them. He belted past her, unconcerned or unseeing of her presence. The next wolf ran and then the rest of them swarmed past the truck, setting off together. It was a horrific scene. A howling, baying, deadly pack of orange-eyed monsters, snarling, growling, and full of lethal slashing claws and long sharp bared teeth. Only one good thing was evident, they didn't seem to be intent on killing each other, at least not yet.

Her mind was full of horror at what was being unleashed on Heart this night. They would rampage and kill. Dozens of the innocent townsfolk, their little children, beloved pets...

She couldn't allow it.

How she could stop this impending carnage, she had no idea, but she could at least try. She set off after them, fast.

She flew like the wind. As fast as she ever had.

She saw the last one of them far ahead, Jamie, crossing the railway track and heading off into the trees behind the main street buildings. She desperately needed speed, and pushed herself hard. Soon she was there right behind him.

What the hell could she do now? She growled at him, trying not to think of the danger she was in...'Stop right there, you devil!'... And to her astonishment he did, skidding to a halt and turning to face her with his orange eyes burning a hole in her head. He made no attempt to attack her, he just stood and stared, evilly, with a low growling noise emerging from his throat, as if he wanted to strike at her, but somehow he was held back by an invisible barrier. They faced each other for a few seconds.